Star Wars Altered Universe: Collision Course
by Scott W. Ferguson
Summary: Ten years after the start of the Rebellion, two galaxies collide as Anakin Skywalker and his family find themselves thrust into an adventure beyond anything they could ever have imagined. Crossover fiction from my Star Wars AU series, by request. Romance/Action/Adventure.
1. Oh, Brother, Where Are We?

**Chapter 1: Oh, Brother... Where Are We?**

_Author's Note: Greetings, everyone, and welcome to a whole new adventure in my Star Wars Altered Universe series!_

_Okay, what you're about to embark on is a very unique journey, so I think a little background is in order here to help put things into the proper perspective. First off, let me say that, if you haven't read at least one of my previous stories, then you might find yourself to be a bit lost if you start with this adventure. Questions like 'Padmé's a Jedi?', or 'Who are Shanda Lars?' or even 'When did Anakin and Padmé have a third child?' are all answered in Episodes 2 through 4. Keep in mind, also, that 3.5 and 4 are still works in progress, so some things you encounter here may be mysteries that will be answered in the others. So, long story short (no pun intended), my Altered Universe is kinda like 'The Lord of the Rings' - it all goes together, though I dare not compare my meager works to Tolkien's classics._

_Secondly, what you're about to read is something that I have received MANY requests to write. This work is very unique, and can be taken as a 'sidebar' adventure to my main story, if you will, something that I'm writing for some very nice people who've requested time and again that I do so. And, I must admit, it sounded like a fun adventure, and it presents a great challenge as well._

_Crossover fiction is something that can be great fun to read, as we see very creative people take multiple worlds that we've grown so very fond of and blend them together. It's hard work, though, especially if you want to make sure that the fiction remains believable and feasible; this is something I've always tried to maintain in my own writing, because it adds so much to the quality and enjoyment of the work, if you can actually see it happening in the original story line._

_So, after receiving many requests to do such a story, and giving it a great deal of thought, I decided that it would be fun to take my Altered Universe and blend it, for this adventure, with another that many of us have grown exceptionally fond of, myself included. While this story can be taken as a completely separate work from my other series, which is an 'altered universe re-write' of the original saga, I plan to make it fit seamlessly into the other Episodes; what you read here should in no way detract from your enjoyment of the original stories, and if you skip it over altogether, you won't miss anything._

_So, to all of you who've asked me to write this, I would like to offer my humble thanks for thinking so highly of my stories, and allowing me to pen this adventure for you, which I now, just as humbly, submit for your reading enjoyment. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing them for you._

_I hope you all enjoy this very unique adventure. And, as always, may the Force be with you... no matter what galaxy you happen to call home!_

_... Scott :)_

* * *

_A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..._

_Time is a difficult concept, especially when considered by those who find themselves linear subjects to it._

_It is a dark time for the fledgling Rebellion. Despite their best efforts, Darth Vader's tyrannical rule grows day by day, and it has been all but impossible for the Rebellion to survive, as the Dark Lord's forces continue to pursue the small group of rebels, and the Jedi who lead them, to the ends of the Republic._

_But survive they have, in no small part due to the heroic and unceasing efforts of one small, dedicated family of Jedi Knights._

_Ten years have passed, since the fateful day when the first shots of the Rebellion were fired in the angry skies over Coruscant. Since that time, Jedi Masters Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have continued to guide the New Council, along with Master Yoda, as the Jedi now work as silent, ghostly avengers alongside the growing rebel forces, striking again and again at the heart of the Empire's growing regime._

_It has been a difficult balancing act for Anakin and his wife, Padmé. Now a Jedi Knight herself, having completed her trials long ago, she and her husband have successfully managed to conceal their rolls as Jedi and leaders of the growing resistance from their children, who continue to grow, both in body and with the Force, under the loving care and guidance of their parents._

_Yet, there have been plentiful moments of joy intermingled with the continual strife and struggle that fills their lives. Anakin and Padmé's home life is happy, indeed; their own love for each other has continued to grow, as always, and they have watched, quite proudly, as Luke and Leia have grown into happy young pre-teens. Two years after they rescued Obi-Wan and his young padawan, Shanda Lars, from the clutches of Darth Vader himself, Anakin and Padmé's lives were blessed yet again with the birth of their third child. Lana, their youngest daughter, was a happy surprise indeed, as Anakin and Padmé both believed that the injuries she'd suffered long ago on Mustafar would prevent her from bearing any more children; but the Force, it seemed, felt otherwise, adding yet another member to their growing family._

_As we join them, Anakin and Padmé Skywalker are returning home to Naboo with their children from an extended stay on Anakin's old home-world of Tatooine, where he, Padmé, and his old mentor have spent the last several weeks overseeing the Trials of a handful of young padawans, some of the same ones they saved from Palpatine's murderous rampage over a decade ago. Anakin's old mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and their adopted niece Shanda Lars, who is now about to enter the Trials herself, are also with them, traveling to Naboo for a rare, and welcome, holiday from the sand and heat of the arid desert planet they have called home for so long._

_But fate, it seems, has something different in mind for our intrepid little band._

_In an effort to avoid an Imperial blockade that has paralyzed the primary trade routes between the old Republic systems, Anakin has brought them on a circuitous course back to Naboo through the Outer Rim territories. But, just as it seems their attempt to go unnoticed has been a resounding success, their ship encounters a strange object floating through space, an object that will take them on one of the most amazing journeys they have ever encountered._

It had been a long, quiet journey so far, and for that he was thankful.

Anakin leaned back in the pilot's chair; he yawned, quite deeply, stretching his arms high over his head. The long, round-about route he and Artoo had brought the _Avenger _on through the Outer Rim territories added a full six hours to their journey back to their familiar, green and blue homeworld of Naboo, and those hours had passed slowly, very slowly indeed.

He was ready to get home, more so than he could remember in a long, long time; he missed Naboo, with its lush green forests and crystal blue waters. _I hate sand, _he had once told Padmé, long ago, when they had stood together on that balcony, just days before both of their lives had changed forever.

_And I still do, _he thought to himself, his eyes still closed, as that conversation drifted slowly through his calm, peaceful mind. They had spent the better part of the last two weeks up to their knees in it, and even Padmé had told him, just several nights before, as she combed the last bits of the coarse, golden grains from her beautiful, curly brown hair that she was tired of it, too.

"_It's everywhere," she sighed, quite frustrated, as she flopped down onto the bed beside him, dusting her hands over the silk nightgown she was wearing. "Look," she said, watching as a few more grains fell to the floor beside their bed, "It's even in the sheets, and Beru just washed them this morning."_

He chuckled quietly to himself, as he remembered how she'd jutted out her lip, a sad, playful pout on her face as she flopped back onto the pillow beside him and sighed, so dejectedly. It had worked, just as she'd wanted it to, just as she'd known it would; he'd gotten up, putting his childhood experience on that barren, dusty planet to good use, and cleaned their bed until not one grain of the course, bothersome material remained.

Anakin never complained, though, not once, since the two of them had been together; that look, that pout, possessed a power greater than anything else he knew of in the universe, and she wielded it more efficiently than her own lightsaber. Yet he knew, deep in his heart, that she only used it when she was feeling tired and vulnerable, or when she simply wanted nothing more than to be fussed over, something that he took great delight in doing, anyway. It was, after all, just one of the many games the two of them played with each other.

She wasn't the only one who'd been tired that night, though, and he yawned again as he stretched even harder. It was hard to believe, he thought to himself, that enough time had passed that the first of the younglings that he and Obi-Wan had rescued were as old as they were. He'd forgotten, as the years had slowly passed, how grueling the Trials could be, not only for those enduring them, but for the ones overseeing them as well. It had been a long, hot two weeks that he, Padmé, and Obi-Wan had spent in the desert with Yoda and the other Council members, overseeing those trials, while Luke, Leia, and Lana had spent their days under Owen and Beru's watchful eyes. He was ready, as ready as she was, to spend the next two weeks at Sola's, with nothing but good food, blue skies, cool breezes, and crystal clear water to renew their bodies and spirits.

This particular vacation was going to be even more enjoyable, though. He and Padmé had managed, with no small amount of begging and pleading, to convince his old master to join them, and he could still hear the squeals of delight from Luke, Leia and Lana as they realized that 'Ol' Ben', as they liked to call him, and their cousin Shanda would be joining them on the journey home. It had been a long time, a long time indeed, since he and Obi-Wan had spent any time together apart from the heavy burdens that usually accompanied such pairings, and he was looking forward to it, almost as much as Obi-Wan was. It had been a long time, he thought to himself, as he stretched and groaned again, since he and his old master had gotten a chance to spar with his old practice sabers; he would have to make sure they remedied that at their earliest convenience.

"What's the matter, baby?" he heard that wonderful, sweet voice ask, as he suddenly felt her arms wrap tightly around him from behind. "You getting sleepy?" she asked quietly, as she pressed her cheek next to his and kissed him fondly.

"Ooooh, just a bit," Anakin groaned, wrapping his arms around her neck as she hugged him tightly; he closed his eyes again, as she leaned a bit closer and kissed him, quite tenderly and passionately.

"Wow," he whispered, slowly opening his eyes and gazing into her lovely brown eyes as she returned his smile. "What was that for?"

"'Cause I love you, that's all," Padmé replied, as she walked slowly around beside the _Avenger's _pilot's seat and stood beside him. "How are you holding up?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Anakin sighed, yawning again as she sat down in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her tightly. "Artoo's doing most of the work right now, anyway," he said, grinning up at her as he watched her glance over to where their faithful little astrodroid sat at his control station, quietly monitoring the ship's systems as they whisked smoothly through space.

"How much longer till we get home?" Padmé asked, turning her attention to the navigational computer beside them as Anakin reached over and tapped the controls with his left hand.

"About two more hours," he sighed, as he watched the calculations appear on the screen beside them. "We're coming up on Kamino now," he said, leaning back in his chair as Padmé snuggled down in his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. "Once we get clear of the Ple'tana asteroid belt, then Artoo can kick us back up to full power, and maybe we can shave a little time off of that, though," he said, closing his eyes again.

"Good," Padmé sighed, quite contentedly, yawning herself as she closed her own eyes. "Shanda and the kids are playing De'zhak'bo again, for the umpteenth time," she giggled, as she felt him do the same. "Threepio took my place, I couldn't stand to play another hand."

"Did you win?" Anakin asked, opening his eyes and glancing over at her, as she shook her head slowly, her curly brown hair cascading over his shoulder.

"Of course not," she replied, laughing quietly to herself. "Shanda wins every other hand. I think she's using her Force powers to stack the deck, but she won't admit it," she said, opening her eyes and smiling back at him.

"Speaking of cheats and scoundrels, where's Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked, laughing quietly as he looked around the cockpit behind them; he'd dozed off a bit earlier, and now his old master was nowhere to be seen.

"He was back there in the cargo hold, at the secondary console, last time I saw him," she said, her eyes still closed as she gently nuzzled the tip of her nose against his cheek. "He said something about Artoo finding something strange on the long range sensors, I don't know," she sighed, shaking her head slowly. "I think he and Artoo are both just going stir crazy, that's all."

"So," she whispered, as she suddenly began to kiss his neck very softly. "Everybody else is busy," she said, opening her eyes and smiling at him as he turned his face toward hers. "Whatcha wanna do to pass the time away?"

She giggled, as she felt him shift sideways in the pilot's chair a bit. "I've got an idea or two," he said, slipping his arm under hers and gently rubbing the small of her back as she melted into his strong embrace. "Wanna make out?" he asked, bouncing his eyebrows as she grinned back at him.

"I thought you'd never ask," she giggled, brushing her lips lightly over his as she pulled him close; she sighed, almost as deeply as he did, as his lips met hers, over and over again, as their hearts beat in perfect, happy harmony with one another, just as they had each day for so very, very long.

* * *

"Find anything interesting on there, Master?" Shanda asked, tucking her hands into the pockets of her skirt and grinning slyly at him as she walked up to join him at the console.

"Yes, actually," Obi-Wan replied, nodding his bearded head, as he turned his face up to his young apprentice. "Well," he said, a pleasant smile replacing the thoughtful frown that had been there only moments before, "I see you've changed clothes."

"Yes, I did," Shanda replied, nodding her head firmly, her dusky red hair bouncing around her shoulders as she looked down and surveyed the new skirt and short-sleeved tunic her mother had given her just before they'd left. "It's been so long since I've gotten to wear anything like this, I thought I'd go ahead and enjoy it," she said, returning his smile as she looked back up at him.

"Well, you wear it very well," Obi-Wan replied, smiling approvingly at her as she grinned back at him, her cheeks filling with a rosy pink color that went quite well with her hair. "You're quite positively the loveliest padawan I've ever had," he chuckled, leaning back in his seat at the console as she shot him an amused smirk.

"Thanks," she said, grinning slyly as she watched her master chuckle and turn his attention back to the display in front of him. "At least I know now that I'm prettier than Uncle Anakin," she sighed, as she walked up and stood beside him. "So what's got you so interested, anyway, Master?" she asked, as she turned her own attention toward the screen.

"Artoo and I picked this up on the ship's long range sensors about thirty minutes ago," Obi-Wan said, pointing toward the blurry image on the display in front of him. "It looks like a probe of some type, but I've never seen power signatures like these before," he said, tapping the controls on the display in front of him as he called up the logarithmic plot of the mysterious object's power curves.

"Wow," Shanda said, frowning thoughtfully as she crouched down beside him. "Those _are _unusual," she said, as she watched the sine waves on the plot fluctuate wildly, in a consistently rhythmic pattern. "It looks almost like some sort of spacial disturbance, but I've never seen anything so concentrated before."

"Me, either," Obi-Wan replied, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair and stroked his gray-streaked beard thoughtfully. "I know we probably shouldn't," he sighed, as he glanced over at his padawan again, "but I'd love to take a closer look at this thing. Do you think we can talk Anakin into having Artoo take us out of hyperspace long enough to give it a quick look see?"

"I don't see why not," Shanda replied, shrugging her shoulders. "He's more into strange technical toys than you are," she sighed, watching as Obi-Wan laughed quietly, nodding his head in agreement. "He'd probably be upset it we _didn't."_

"Well, come on then," Obi-Wan said, reaching over and patting her soundly on the shoulder as he stood up from his chair. "Let's go see if we can get your uncle to add a few more minutes to the ride home."

* * *

"All right, you two, that's enough," Obi-Wan chuckled, grinning slyly as he and Shanda walked into the cockpit to find Anakin and Padmé locked in each other's embrace, like a couple of impassioned teenagers. "There'll be plenty of time for that when we get home."

"They're at it again," Shanda giggled, watching as Padmé sighed deeply and dropped her head onto Anakin's shoulder. "Leia's right, you can't leave them alone for five minutes," she said, smiling brightly as she watched her aunt and uncle look up at her from the pilot's chair.

"Goodness, it got crowded in here quick, didn't it?" Padmé said, as she and Anakin exchanged a sly smirk. "And we were having such a wonderful, quiet, _private _moment," she growled through her teeth, as she glared up at Obi-Wan, her arms still wrapped tightly around Anakin's neck, as he flopped down in the copilot's seat beside them.

"You two are incorrigible," Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head as he leaned over and tapped the control near the center of the _Avenger's _primary console. "Here, pry yourselves apart for just a minute and take a look at this," he said, tossing Padmé a wink as she sighed and grinned back at him, tightening her grip around Anakin's neck.

"Okay, we'll look," she sighed, an air of disgust in her voice as she shifted in Anakin's lap so that he could see the display a little better. "But this better be good," she said, sitting up a bit as she and Shanda exchanged a grin.

"Oh, it is, I promise," Obi-Wan replied, nodding his head firmly as he transferred the data from the station he'd been working on in the cargo hold to the large, central computer on the _Avenger's _main console. "Take a look at this," he said, turning a curious, eager grin toward his old padawan. "Artoo picked this up on the long range sensors a little while ago, while you were dozing. What do you make of this, Anakin?"

"Whoa," Anakin sighed, a deeply curious, befuddled look on his face as he and Padmé both leaned closer to the console, examining the tactical image on the ship's main display with great interest. "Look at those power curves," he said, a tone of fascination clearly growing in his voice as he watched the strange energy levels that emanated from the small, oblong device radiate out in a complete circle around it.

"What kind of energy is that?" Padmé asked, her own curiosity growing, as she watched the strange, oscillating waves radiate out in a counter-clockwise direction from the small device's center.

"That's what your droid and I have been trying to figure out," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head as he watched Anakin rotate the tactical display along its z-axis. "It looks like some form of spacial distortion field, but I've never seen anything like it generated by a synthetic object before," he said.

"I wonder if it's some kind of beacon, or a ship's transponder that might have malfunctioned," Padmé mused, as she studied the device's small, rectangular shape, placing her arm around Anakin's shoulders as Shanda walked up close beside them.

"I don't know, and neither does Artoo," Obi-Wan replied, glancing over at his companions. "But it's definitely got my curiosity peaked."

"So, what do you think, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, raising his eyebrows, an eager, curious grin on his weathered, bearded face. "We haven't gone treasure hunting in a long time," he said, nodding his head toward the strange image on the _Avenger's _main display. "The Empire has no presence here, in this sector, so there shouldn't be any danger. What do you say we drop out of hyperspace for a bit and check this thing out?"

"It certainly is strange," Anakin replied, quite thoughtfully, as he looked back at the curious image on the computer display again. "I don't know, what do you think?" Anakin asked, turning his face and attention back to his wife, as she sat in his lap, smiling down at him. "We are on vacation, after all," he said, bouncing his own eyebrows as he grinned up at her.

"Oh, fine," Padmé replied, nodding her head in agreement. "It might be fun, and the kids might get a chance to learn something, too," she said, watching as Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged wide grins that would have fit well on a couple of young schoolboy's faces. "You drive, though," she said, nodding at Obi-Wan as she settled back into Anakin's lap again. "He's got his hands full," she said, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck again as she shot Obi-Wan a sarcastic smirk.

"See?" Shanda said, patting Obi-Wan's shoulder as he looked up at her. "Told you he'd be just as interested as you were."

"Artoo," Obi-Wan chuckled, turning his attention back to the copilot's station as he prepared to take control of the _Avenger, "_Take us out of hyperspace, and make for those power fluctuations," he said, glancing over at the little droid as his bright electronic whistle echoed through the cockpit. "Let's go see what's up with this thing."

* * *

"What's going on?" Leia asked, her dark pigtails bounding around her shoulders as she and her brother ran into the cockpit, close on each other's heels. "We heard the hyperdrive disengage," she said, trotting up to her mother's side as she stood behind the pilot's seat. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. We just stopped for just a minute," Padmé replied, placing her hand on Leia's shoulder as she pointed out of the cockpit window ahead of them. "Artoo picked up something pretty strange on the sensors, and your father and Ben wanted to take a look at it," she said, as Luke and Leia both squeezed in between the pilot and copilot's station, straining to catch a glimpse of the strange, silver device that floated several thousand meters off the _Avenger's _bow.

"Settle down, you two," Padmé said, as she watched her two children shove and frown at each other a bit, as they struggled for the best viewing position in the narrow gap between the pilot and copilot's station, and then gazed out the ship's window. "Where's your little sister?"

"She's fine, she's still playing with Threepio," Leia said, waving her hand nonchalantly as she stared with keen interest at the slowly rotating, shiny device. "What is that thing, Daddy?" she asked, quite excitedly, leaning over the arm of her father's chair as she looked at the console he was working on.

"We're not sure, honey," Anakin replied, glancing up at his daughter as he felt her hand on his arm; he smiled, as he sensed the keen interest and excitement that flowed through her. "We think it's some kind of probe," he continued, turning his eyes back toward his workstation again, "but we've never seen anything like it before."

"Wow," Leia replied, turning her attention toward Obi-Wan. "You either, Mister Kenobi?"

"No, Leia," Obi-Wan replied, smiling as he, too, sensed the excitement in Anakin's children. They were much like their father had been at that age, so long ago, so very eager to learn and experience anything that happened to present itself at any moment. It was a family trait, that much was certain, he thought to himself, as he gestured toward the screen in front of him. "I've seen a lot of strange things over the years, but this one is pretty unusual."

"Wow," Leia sighed again, shaking her head as she stood up and folded her arms across the chest of her bright white tunic, her dark brown braids hanging over her shoulders. "Then it must be really, really old if you _or _Daddy have never seen it," she sighed, shaking her head forlornly, as she smiled up at her mother.

"Leia!" Padmé laughed, elbowing her daughter playfully as she giggled loudly, watching as her father and Ben exchanged a sarcastic glance. "That wasn't very nice," she laughed, as she and Luke began to shove each other again.

"Maybe it's really, really _new_," Anakin quipped sarcastically, turning his eyes up to his two children as they continued their little sparing match beside them. "And go back to the cargo hold, if you two want to wrestle," he said, watching the two of them as they instantly sprang to attention and nodded obediently. "I've told you before, no horseplay in the cockpit. Remember?"

"Yes, sir," they both replied in unison, smiling politely as their father eyed them warily; Padmé smiled, as they both stood there like good little soldiers, their hands folded behind their backs, as they watched their father quietly turn his attention back to the display in front of him.

That was all it took, most of the time, to keep their two rambunctious pre-teens in line; they could both be a handful, at times, but rare was the occasion when a firm word and a cold stare from their father's dark blue eyes couldn't pull them back in line.

"So if it's a probe, what's it looking for?" Luke asked, shrugging his shoulders as his mother reached over and pushed his long, shaggy bangs out of eyes.

"That's just it," Anakin sighed, shaking his head as he leaned back in the pilot's chair, folding his arms across his chest. "It doesn't seem to be _looking _for anything, or _doing _anything, for that matter," he said, as he and his son exchanged a puzzled glance. "All it's doing is sitting there, sending out these weird-looking waves of energy," he said, gesturing toward the oscillating tactical plot on the _Avenger's _main view screen.

"I still think you're both looking at it from the wrong angle," Padmé mused, as she placed her hands gently on Anakin's shoulders, as he and Obi-Wan looked up at her. "You're assuming that it's a probe, but if it is, then why isn't it _going _anywhere?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a curious glance, as Padmé leaned closer to the tactical display. "Boys," she sighed, grinning slyly as she tapped the control pad with her nimble fingers. "Look, it's completely stationary, it hasn't moved since Artoo first found it," she said, switching the display mode and standing up again, folding her arms across her chest. "Probes are sent out to find things, to roam the galaxy and gather information. Maybe this thing isn't _looking _for anything," she said, as she looked out at the strange, squarish device again. "Maybe it's _listening."_

"A communications device?" Obi-Wan asked, quite thoughtfully, as he watched Padmé nod her head in reply.

"Makes sense to me," Padmé replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, it doesn't look like it's doing anything proactive. Maybe it's a relay station, or a communications buoy of some kind."

"Artoo," Anakin called, leaning back in his chair and looking at his little droid again. "Maybe Padmé's right," he said, glancing up at his wife as she smiled back at him. "Why don't you bring the ship's transmitter online, and scan for any types of communications signals?"

Artoo's bright, cheery whistles and clicks echoed through the cockpit, as he swung his dome and sensors back to the station in front of him. He spun his data probe quickly, this way and that, as he powered up the ship's transmitter and began to scan through the frequency range for any type of emissions, besides the strange spacial flux that emanated from the unusual device, that he could decipher.

"So what do we do, if Artoo finds out it's some kind of radio?" Luke asked, looking back toward his father again. "We don't want to talk to it, do we?"

"No, definitely not," Anakin replied, shaking his head as he switched on the _Avenger's _data recorders and activated the forward sensor array. "We'll just gather as much information about it as we can and store it in the computer, so we can look at it later," he said, glancing back out at the silent, square device as it rotated slowly in space.

"I sure would like to see what it's using for a power source, though, to be able to generate that kind of spacial disturbance," he mused, as he switched on the forward emitters and leaned back in his chair, gazing out the forward window thoughtfully as he reached up and took Padmé's hand in his.

* * *

It had lain quiet and dormant for a long time, far longer than its creators had ever intended, as it floated lifelessly through the cold, vast expanse of space. Only its primary emitter circuits still functioned, consuming only as much power as they needed to maintain their functions. Yet now, finally, as it sensed a faint, barely traceable signal, its internal systems began to spring to life.

It switched on its primary scanner and, with a quick, circular pulse, scanned the surrounding space for the object from which that signal had come; it only took a microsecond to find it, and, as it did, a series of relays and switched began to activate, one after another, as it prepared to carry out, at long last, the function for which it had been designed.

* * *

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the others turned their attention toward Artoo, as he began to whistle and chirp excitedly.

"What wrong with Artoo?" Leia asked, watching their little droid as he began to rock back and forth on his main support pylons, obviously quite upset.

She looked back at her father, as he leaned forward in the pilot's chair and looked at the _Avenger's _primary computer display. "Uh, oh," he said, shaking his head as a serious, concerned look suddenly spread over his face. "This doesn't look good," he said, as Obi-Wan looked at the display with him. "This doesn't look good at all."

"What's happening?" Obi-Wan asked, as he suddenly saw the tactical plot begin to fluctuate wildly.

"We've got to get out of here, _now_," Anakin said, quite alarmed, as he reached over and began to quickly power up the _Avenger's _main engines.

"Why, what's wrong?" Padmé asked, instantly sensing the alarm in Anakin's voice.

"The spacial distortion wave around that thing is growing, and fast," he said, glancing up at his wife and children again. "We must had inadvertently activated it somehow, when we were trying to scan it," he said, frantically slipping his arms into the harnesses of the pilot's chair in which he sat.

"Artoo says it going to go critical in less that fifteen seconds," he said, nodding quickly toward the passenger seats behind him, on the aft bulkhead. "Get yourselves strapped in," he said, watching as Shanda, Padmé, and his children instantly bolted for the small row of seats.

"Threepio!" Padmé shouted, her thoughts instantly centering on her youngest daughter, who was still playing quietly with their tall, golden droid in the ship's cargo hold. "Get yourself and Lana strapped in, now!" she called, her heart beginning to race in her chest, as she sat down on the bench beside Leia, frantically searching for the restraint harnesses to strap her children down.

Obi-Wan looked out of the _Avenger's _forward window, as he suddenly felt the ship begin to shudder beneath them; he watched, with a growing sense of foreboding, as the strange, rectangular device began to spin, faster and faster, as brilliant arcs of blue-green plasma began to lash out at the blackness of space around them.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he sighed, doing his best to strap himself in as Artoo's excited whistled began to fill the cockpit again.

"We're not going to make it," Anakin said, realizing all too quickly that there was no way he could get the _Avenger's _engines online in time. "Artoo!" he called, as his fingers flew wildly across the control pads beside him, "Transfer every bit of the ship's energy to the shields, now!" he said, glancing back over at his little droid and watching as he began to spin the control wheels at his station wildly.

"Everybody hang onto something," he shouted, frowning deeply as the _Avenger_ began to buck wildly from the massive waves of energy that lashed out at it, as the strange, rapidly spinning device began to glow like a white-hot star. "Now!"

Anakin and Obi-Wan threw up their hands in front of their faces, as the brilliant, blinding white flash of light suddenly illuminated the _Avenger's _cockpit; Anakin turned his head, with great effort, toward the view screen as the incredible G-forces pushed him back into the seat.

The last thing he saw, before he and the others blacked out, was the brilliant, multi-colored tunnel that opened in front of them, as, in the blink of an eye, the _Avenger_, and everyone inside it, disappeared in a blinding white flash.

* * *

"Padmé? Padmé, can you hear me?"

She blinked her eyes, very slowly, as she heard Anakin's familiar voice calling to her through the blur of disorientation that clouded her mind. "What?" she asked, closing her eyes again, a wave of nausea sweeping over her as she tried to move her head. "Oooh," she groaned, placing her hand on her stomach, as she felt Anakin's hand on her cheek. "What... what happened?"

"Just sit still a minute, baby," Anakin said, as he placed the cool, wet towel in her hand, and then guided them both gently to her forehead. "This'll help. You'll feel better in a minute."

Padmé forced herself to turn her head and open her eyes, her mother's instincts overriding the nausea that boiled in her stomach, as she heard Leia whimper beside her.

"Oh, Daddy, it hurts," Leia cried softly, as Padmé struggled to sit up, alarmed by her daughter's painful cry.

"I know it does, honey," Anakin said, as Padmé watched him gently press another cool, damp cloth to Leia's forehead. "And you sit back," he said, reaching over with his free hand and gently pushing Padmé back in her seat. "You're going to fall down and hurt yourself if you try to move so soon," he said, watching her as she leaned back, quite reluctantly, in her seat.

"What happened?" she asked, her head swimming, deeply alarmed as she saw the blood on her daughter's cheek.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Anakin replied, smiling at her reassuringly as he pressed the cool cloth gently to Leia's forehead. "Some of the coolant canisters broke loose, and I think one of them caught her on the forehead," he said, shaking his head as he squeezed Leia's hand reassuringly. "It's not bad, it's just a cut. You can take her back to the infirmary, in a couple of minutes, as soon as your head clears."

"Lana!" Padmé cried, as her thoughts suddenly shifted to her youngest daughter. "Where is she?" she asked, struggling to get up again, as Anakin reached over and pushed her back down in the seat.

Padmé looked up, her head still spinning, as she suddenly heard Threepio's familiar voice. "Mistress Lana is just fine, Miss Padmé," Threepio said, as reassuringly as he could, waving his arms at his sides as he watched her sigh and relax again, obviously relieved. "I managed to get her secured in one of the passenger's seats before..." he paused, glancing around the smoke-filled cockpit. "Before whatever caused all of this happened," he continued, an air of confusion in his electronic voice as he turned his face back toward her again.

"She's got a few scrapes, and a couple of bumps, but she's just fine, Mom," Luke said, handing his father a fresh, clean cloth as he walked quickly back into the cockpit to join them. "She's lying down in the infirmary now, and Shanda's with her," he said, watching as his mother closed her eyes and swallowed hard again, nodding her head weakly.

"Why do I feel so sick?" Padmé groaned, frowning as another wave of nausea swept over her.

"I'm not sure," Obi-Wan replied, as he sat down on the bench beside her. "We were a little nauseous too, when we first came to," he said, glancing over at Anakin and Luke. "But it wore off pretty quickly. It seems, for whatever reason, to have affected you and the girls more than it did us," he said, taking the towel from her and gently wiping her face.

"Lucky us," Padmé sighed, shaking her head again.

"How are you feeling?" Obi-Wan asked, as he watched Padmé take a deep breath and try to sit up, albeit very slowly.

"A little better," she replied, blinking her eyes hard several times, as she paused and rested her elbows on her knees. "A little loopy, but my head's starting to clear, I think."

"Mine hurts," Leia whimpered, turning her eyes toward her mother as Padmé slid a bit closer to her.

"I know it does, Leia," Padmé replied, still feeling somewhat dizzy and disoriented, as she reached over and took the cloth from Anakin's hand. "Let me see how bad it is," she said, gently lifting the red-tinted cloth from her daughter's forehead.

"Oh, it's not too bad," she sighed, finally breathing a welcome sigh of relief, as she quickly surveyed the angry little cut. "It's just bleeding a lot, that's all," she said, looking back at her daughter with a reassuring nod. "Here, hold this on it," she said, guiding Leia's hand to her forehead. "I'll take you to the infirmary, and we'll get it fixed up in no time."

"Are you feeling up to it?" Anakin asked, standing up slowly and watching as she looked back up to him and nodded.

"I think so," she said, taking his hand and standing up gingerly. "My head's starting to clear, pretty quickly now," she sighed, squeezing his hand as she took a long deep breath and exhaled, very slowly.

"Okay," Anakin sighed, somewhat reluctantly, as she nodded her head slowly. "You go with them, Luke, just the same," he said, as Luke carefully helped his sister up to her feet. "You too, Threepio," he said, turning his attention to the tall, golden droid as he stood quietly by them. "Padmé might need a little help."

"Of course, Master Ani," Threepio replied, his actuator motors whining smoothly as he nodded his head and shuffled back out of the way, giving Luke plenty of room as he helped Leia toward the cockpit door.

"Go slow, Sis," Luke said, holding tightly to Leia's arm, as she nodded her head gingerly in reply. "It's just your head, so far," he said, grinning slyly at her as she paused and looked over at him. "Fall down again and you might hurt something important."

"Ha ha, very funny," Leia growled, squeezing his arm tightly; she knew in her heart, though, that it was just Luke's way of telling her he was worried about her, and she smiled, although a bit painfully, as her mother followed along close behind them.

"We'll be back in a bit," Padmé said, turning and giving Anakin and Obi-Wan a reassuring nod. "You two see if you can figure out what happened," she said, frowning as she looked up at the smoke that filled the cockpit. "And see if you can get this smoke out of here," she said, coughing as she did so. "It smells terrible."

"Yes, my lady," Anakin replied, smiling slyly at her as she shot him the same smirk she always did, whenever he called her that, and he watched as she and the children, with Threepio trailing close behind, disappeared down the corridor that led to the back of the ship.

"Now," Anakin sighed, reaching up and rubbing his own head, grimacing painfully as they walked slowly toward the ship's console, "Just what the hell _did _happen to us?" he asked, leaning against the bulkhead for a moment as he tried to regain his wits.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, I'll be perfectly happy if we never do it again," Obi-Wan groaned, as he flopped down in the copilot's seat. "How about you, are you sure you're all right?" he asked, as he turned his attention back to his old padawan again.

"As well as can be expected," Anakin sighed, as he quickly surveyed the _Avenger's _smoke-filled cockpit. "Looks like the ship's still in one piece," he sighed, somewhat relieved, as he reached over and tapped a switch on the aft console, activating the cockpit's evacuation fans. "That should clear the smoke in a few minutes," he coughed, as he walked over, somewhat stiffly, to join Obi-Wan.

"Where are we?" Anakin asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked out of the cockpit window. "And where's Kamino?" he asked again, suddenly realizing that the massive, blue planet was no longer in their field of view.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan replied, shaking his head, as he gazed out at the brilliant gold star closest to them; he hadn't noticed it either, until now, but Kamino was gone, and so was the milky white cloud of the Ple'tana asteroid belt that usually wove its way across the blackness of space behind it, like a huge, glistening white ribbon. "None of this looks familiar at all," he said, as he began to sense, and share, Anakin's confusion.

"And it doesn't feel right, either," Obi-Wan said, as he again noticed the strange tremors in the Force around them. "Do you feel that?" he asked, turning his gaze up toward Anakin's again.

"Yes," Anakin said, nodding his head slowly. "I don't know what to make of it, though," he said, looking back at his old master as he felt the strong, unusual vibrations in the living Force. "I've never felt anything like it."

"Look," Anakin said, gesturing toward the view screen in front of them as he suddenly spotted the strange, silver device they'd encountered floating, silent and lifeless, just off the _Avenger's _port bow. "Whatever happened, that thing's still with us."

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, frowning thoughtfully as he watched it drift, like a lifeless derelict, along beside them through space. "But it's not spinning anymore, and it's drifting, just like we are," he said, shaking his head slowly. "It looks dead."

"Good," Anakin groaned, leaning back against the bulkhead again. "Let's try not to do anything else to piss it off," he sighed. "Do we have any idea what it did to us?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan both looked down at the computer console in front of them, as Artoo began to whistle and click from his place at the remote command console. "Artoo says he thinks it opened some kind of a wormhole," he said, frowning deeply as he saw the translation from the little droid scroll quickly across the screen.

"That would explain where Kamino's gone, then," Obi-Wan sighed, nodding his head slowly, as he looked out at the silent, mysterious device. "And it would also explain those strange spacial distortions. If that thing was some kind of transportation device..."

"You mean, like a stargate of some kind?" Anakin asked, a curious frown on his face, as he too looked out at the device that floated along beside them.

"Maybe," Obi-Wan replied. "If it is, it may have kicked us farther beyond the Outer Rim than we first thought," Obi-Wan said, as he turned his attention to the ship's navigational computers. "Let me see if I can get a fix on our position, and see how far we've been thrown off course."

Anakin glanced around the cockpit again; the smoke was clearing, but the wild, angry ride through whatever it was they'd encountered had left the _Avenger _a mess, indeed. He reached over and picked up several of the coolant canisters that had been thrown about in the mayhem; they weighed a considerable amount, and he was just thankful that Leia hadn't been more seriously hurt than she had been, as they'd all been tossed about like a ball of scrubgrass in a strong Tattooine sandstorm.

"Wait a minute, this can't be right," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head in disbelief as he looked at the starmap on the small display in front of him.

"What can't, Master?" Anakin asked, as he walked over to join him, leaning against the _Avenger's _main console; he closed his eyes and grimaced, somewhat painfully, as he reached up and rubbed the crown of his head again. It was still throbbing from its sudden encounter with the cockpit's aft bulkhead, and he looked at his fingers, frowning as he saw the blood on them.

"You've cracked that hard head of yours again," Obi-Wan said, his frown deepening as he caught sight of Anakin's bloody fingers. "I'll get the first aid kit, and we'll take a look at..."

"No, it's okay, Master, it can wait," Anakin replied, shaking his head as he placed his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, pushing him back down into the copilot's seat. "What can't be right?"

"These star charts," Obi-Wan said, reluctantly turning his attention from his friend's wounded head back to the display in front of him again. "Look at them," he said, as Anakin leaned closer, looking over his shoulder.

"You're right," Anakin said, as he stared in disbelief at the mismatched data points on the display in front of them. "Nothing's lining up, not even the galactic terminator belt," he said, as he reached over and tapped the controls quickly. "Are you sure you've got the nav computer calibrated right?" he asked, as he quickly accessed the ship's main computer.

"See for yourself," Obi-Wan sighed, folding his arms across his chest and watching Anakin as he worked. "I checked them twice, but I keep getting the same results," he said, gesturing, somewhat frustrated, at the console's display. "Either the nav computer is broken," he said, as he and Anakin exchanged a confused, befuddled glance, "or we're not anywhere close to where we're supposed to be."

"The calibration looks right," Anakin sighed, shaking his head. "Artoo," he called, watching as his little blue droid swung his dome toward him and whistled attentively, "see if you can figure out what's wrong with the nav computer."

Anakin looked back over his shoulder, as he heard Padmé's voice behind him. "What's wrong with the nav computer?" she asked, reaching up and pushing her disheveled hair from her face as she and Luke walked back across the battered, smoke-filled cockpit to join them.

"It appears to be broken," Obi-Wan sighed, gesturing toward the confusing, misaligned display; it looked like a child's connect-the-dots puzzle, yet none of the lines and points matched up.

"How's Leia?" Anakin asked, as Padmé leaned close to him, placing her arm around his waist.

"She's fine," she sighed, nodding her head. "She's a little loopy, from the knock on the head she got, but it looked a lot worse than it actually was," she said, watching as Anakin closed his eyes and sighed, obviously relieved. "It's stopped bleeding, and Threepio's patching her up right now."

"Speaking of bleeding," Obi-Wan said, as he pointed to Anakin's blood-covered fingertips; he smiled, as Anakin shot him a _go to hell_ glance, as Padmé snatched his hand from the back of the seat where Obi-Wan sat.

"Honey, you're hurt," Padmé said, as she watched Anakin turn toward her and shake his head. "Where?"

"It's nothing, Padmé," he said, as he gestured toward his head. "I've got a cut up on the top of my head, somewhere, but it's not bad. It can wait..."

"No, it can't," Padmé chided, as she turned and looked at Luke. "Luke, bring me the first aid kit," she said, watching as he nodded his head obediently. "It should be in the storage compartment, there, with the rest of your father's things."

"Honestly, Padmé, it can wait," Anakin sighed, as she pushed him over and shoved him down, quite forcefully, into the pilot's seat. "It's nothing, see?" he said, as he reached up and rubbed the top of his head again.

"Nothing, hmm?" Padmé quipped, frowning down at him as she watched him grimace, quite painfully, and look at the fresh layer of blood on his fingertips. "I'll be the judge of that," she said, as she turned her attention to her son again.

"Here you go, Mom," Luke said, handing her the kit he'd retrieved for her. "Hang in there, Dad," he said, smiling slyly at his father as he patted his shoulder firmly. "She does this to me all the time," he said with a grin. "It only hurts worse if you fight her."

"Very funny," Anakin sighed; he winced again, as Padmé began to gingerly clean the gash on the top of his head. "Easy, Padmé," he groaned, glancing up at her sheepishly as she worked.

"Oh, stop whining," Padmé grinned, turning his head back toward the cockpit window again. "And hold still, I can't do this with you moving your head around."

Luke and Obi-Wan turned their attention to the cockpit door, as they heard Threepio's voice from behind them. "Miss Padmé," he said, as he turned himself sideways and shuffled, as quickly as he could, through the narrow doorway, "Mistress Leia is resting comfortably in the infirmary, and young Mistress Lana is with her," he said, as he shuffled up to join them. "Miss Shanda is watching over them."

"Oh, my," he said, as his electronic eyes caught sight of the bloody cleansing pad in Padmé's hands. "Is Master Ani all right?"

"Will everybody stop making such a big deal out of my head?" Anakin sighed, frustrated; he was about to speak again, but he held his tongue, turning his attention, along with the others, toward Artoo, as he began to whistle excitedly.

"What's he saying?" Obi-Wan said, as he and the others looked up at Threepio.

"Oh, dear," Threepio said, turning his eyes over toward the little droid as he worked at the main access terminal adjacent to them. "Artoo, are you absolutely certain you haven't made a mistake?"

"What's he saying, Threepio?" Padmé asked; she stopped working on the cut on Anakin's head for just a moment, watching him as he stood up and went to join Artoo at the access terminal.

"Artoo says that he's been quite unable to find any problem with the ship's navigational systems," Threepio said, turning his attention back to Padmé again. "He says that, as best he can tell, the system is working within it's normal parameters."

"Then why aren't the star charts right?" Anakin asked, as he leaned down and studied the small display where Artoo worked; he looked at the little droid, a confused frown on his face, as Artoo whistled again, just as excitedly.

Obi-Wan stood up from his chair, walking over to stand by Padmé and Luke as they all watched and listened intently. "Artoo says that he's checked the waypoint calculations three hundred and twenty-seven times, and the chances of the navigational center being off are less than sixty-three thousand, seven hundred and twenty to one."

"But the navigational center is fixed on a tri-linear axis that runs through the center of the galaxy," Padmé said, shaking her head, as confused as everyone else as she studied the misaligned, haphazard points on the map in front of them. "The ship's computer should be able to triangulate it's fix from any point inside it."

"Yes, Miss Padmé," Threepio replied, as he shuffled around to face her; he paused, as he carefully considered what he was about to say. "But Artoo says that the reason the charts aren't lining up is..."

"Oh, dear," Threepio sighed, as he waved his arms, as confused as everyone else.

"The charts aren't lining up because?" Anakin asked, shrugging his shoulders as they all looked at their tall, golden droid intently.

"The charts aren't lining up," Threepio continued, "because we're not in our own galaxy anymore."

* * *

"I've never felt so lost in all my life," Anakin sighed, as he stared out of the _Avenger's _cockpit window at the strange star field in front of them; he'd never really realized, over the years, how familiar he'd grown with the patterns of the stars that filled the vastness of space around them, whenever they would travel from place to place. It was strangely disconcerting, he thought to himself, as he suddenly found those patterns to be strangely absent.

Anakin turned and looked over his shoulder toward Padmé, as he suddenly felt her hand on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be all right, Ani," she said, smiling down at him softly as she squeezed his shoulder, keenly aware of the worry that flowed through him as she sensed his tremor through the Force. "We'll find a way out of this. Don't worry."

Anakin smiled, somewhat weakly, reaching up and squeezing her hand tightly as he heard Obi-Wan speak. "I'm detecting something on the short-range scanners," Obi-Wan said, his fingers quickly tapping the controls in front of him as he frowned down at the display between him and Anakin.

"Can you tell what it is?" Anakin asked, leaning closer to the console as Padmé came and stood between them.

"It looks like an artificial structure, and a large one, at that," Obi-Wan replied, as he brought the peculiar shaped object up on the _Avenger's _main computer console. "Artoo says he's definitely detecting ships of some kind, though," he continued, nodding his head slowly, as the little droid whistled quietly from his workstation behind them.

"Do any of them look familiar?" Anakin asked, as Padmé rested her arms on his shoulders, leaning down close and looking at the screen along with them.

"No," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head slowly, as he watched Artoo's translation scroll across the screen in front of him. "He says he can only detect the larger ones from this distance, and none of them look like anything in our databases," he said, turning and looking back at his companions again.

"Could they be Imperial ships?" Padmé asked, the worry in her own heart clearly evident in her voice.

"They could be anything," Anakin sighed, a disconcerted frown on his face. "And I don't know about you two, but I'm not too thrilled about taking this ship, and my children, into a situation I'm totally unfamiliar with."

"Me either," Padmé said, as she crouched down beside him, squeezing his arm tightly as she looked up at him. "But I don't really see where we have much of a choice, Ani," she said, shaking her head slowly.

"We're lost, with no idea where we are or how to get home," she said, shifting her eyes toward Obi-Wan, as he and Anakin looked quietly at one another. "We need help," she said, shrugging her shoulders as she cooly evaluated the facts in her nimble mind, and came to the only conclusion she could, no matter how badly it unnerved her. "Maybe they can help us."

"She has a point," Anakin said, as he watched Obi-Wan lean back in his chair and stroke his beard thoughtfully.

"The only thing that unnerves me," Obi-Wan sighed, as he stared out at the lifeless device that had brought them to where they now found themselves, "is that we have no idea where we're at. Assuming that Artoo is correct, there's no telling where we are. But if he's wrong, and the nav computer is just broken, that could be an Imperial outpost, for all we know," he said, turning his eyes back to Anakin and Padmé again. "We could, for all intensive purposes, be walking right into the lion's den and not even know it."

"But," he sighed, shrugging his own shoulders as he dropped his hands into his lap, a resigned, confused expression on his face, "Padmé's right. We really don't have any other option, at least not that I can see. Without the nav computer, we're pretty much lost."

"Besides," Padmé sighed, an amused smirk on her face as she squeezed Anakin's arm tightly. "Four Jedi against, what, a hundred storm troopers?" she asked, turning a sly grin back to her husband again. "Doesn't sound like much of a match to me."

"I'd really like to avoid any conflict with the kids around, if it's at all possible," Anakin sighed, returning her grin. "Just the same, though, I _would_ feel better if we had our weapons handy, just in case," Anakin interjected, turning his attention back to Obi-Wan again. "You and Shanda brought yours with you, didn't you?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan replied with a nod. "We packed them away, though, before we left. We didn't want to take any chances that the children might see them."

"Let's get them," Anakin said, looking back at Padmé, as she nodded her head slowly in agreement. "We can hide them in our belts and under our tunics, and keep them out of sight. I'd just feel a lot better if we were prepared for the worst, even if nothing happens. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Padmé said, nodding her head firmly as she stood up. "I'll get ours," she said, turning her attention back to Obi-Wan again. "And I'll have Shanda change and get yours as well."

"All right, then," Anakin sighed, turning around and flopping back into the pilot's chair as Padmé walked quickly back toward the cargo bay. "Artoo," he called, as he reached over and powered up the _Avenger's _main engines, "Make for that outpost, or whatever it is, slow and easy," he said, turning his eyes back to the view screen as he reached over and activated the ship's shields and weapons systems.

"Let's go see who's home," he sighed, as he and Obi-Wan exchanged a long, quiet glance, both of them keenly aware of the strange tremors in the Force around them, and the nervous knot deep in the pit of their stomachs.

* * *

He groaned, quite unhappily, as he suddenly heard the amazingly unwelcome bell that rang through his quarters; he laid their, hoping that it had only been his imagination, until the shrill tone sounded again, convincing him otherwise.

"What is it?" he asked, his sleepy voice clearly conveying his extreme displeasure, as he rolled onto his back and flopped his arm across his face.

"_Sorry to disturb you sir," _he heard that familiar voice call, as the computer opened up the com channel in response to his agitated, sleepy voice.

"Not sorry enough, since you did it anyway," he groaned, reaching up and pulling his pillow over his eyes. "What is it that can't wait another two hours till morning?"

"_We're receiving an urgent incoming transmission for you, sir," _the voice replied, as smoothly and calmly as ever. "_Priority one. Shall I patch it though to your quarters?"_

"Yes, yes, fine," he growled, as he reached up and switched on the small light over his bed; he laid there, for a long moment, the pillow still resting over his eyes, as they began to adjust themselves to the pale light that filled his quarters.

"Who the hell needs to send a priority one message at three in the morning?" he groaned, finally tossing the pillow from his face; he sat up slowly, scratching his head as he swung his legs over the side of his bed, and then walked slowly over to the small desk in the corner of his quarters. He sat down, yawning deeply as he pressed the control switch on his desk, rubbing his head sleepily as he leaned back in his chair and watched the small display slowly swivel up and lock into position. He waited, for what seemed like an eternity, until the familiar two-tone bell sounded, and the screen flashed to life.

"_Well, Jean-Luc," _Admiral Dougherty said, raising his eyebrow as he eyed his old friend curiously, "_Dressing rather informally for conferences these days, I see."_

"Very funny," Picard replied, folding his arms across his pajama top as he shot a rather unamused smirk back at the Admiral's image. "Only when someone requests one at three in the morning," he shot back, watching the Admiral as he smiled and nodded his head in reply.

"_Sorry about that," _he said, apologetically, as he folded his hands in front of him. "_I would have waited until morning, but this is important," _he said, his tone instantly growing more serious.

"What's going on, Admiral?" Jean-Luc asked, pushing aside his own frustration as he sensed the urgency in his friend's tone.

"_We've got a little incident that occurred at the DS-9 outpost, a little less than an hour ago," _Admiral Dougherty said, leaning back in his chair and tapping his fingers thoughtfully on his desk as he spoke. "_Some sort of spacial anomaly, adjacent to the wormhole's event horizon. I want you to take the Enterprise and go check it out."_

"Admiral, please," Picard groaned, his discontent clearly evident in his voice as he frowned back at the screen. "The _Enterprise _has been on extended duty, since the conflict with the Borg escalated, and my crew hasn't had shore leave in six months," he said, shaking his head as he spoke. "Surely Science Officer Dax and Engineer O'brien can handle something like a random spacial..."

"_Jadzia was the one who contacted Starfleet Command, at Captain Cisco's urging, and requested that you specifically be dispatched to assist them with this," _the admiral interjected, cutting Picard off short. "_And, given the strange nature of what's happened, Starfleet Command agrees with them."_

"Matt," Picard snapped, shaking his head doubtfully, "What could possibly have happened out there that would merit me turning this ship around and depriving my crew of shore leave for the third time in six months?" Picard asked, tapping his fingers on his elbow agitatedly as he glared back at the screen.

"_Get yourself a cup of earl grey, Jean-Luc," _Admiral Dougherty said, his gravely serious eliciting a look of bewilderment from the _Enterprise's _captain. "_We have a lot to talk about."_

* * *

_Captain's Log, Stardate seven three three five, point six._

_The Enterprise is currently en route to Starbase Deep Space 9, at the urgent request of Starfleet Command. We have been called in to investigate the recent arrival of a small group of refugees who seem to have been swept into our galaxy via some sort of temporal probe, a device that Starfleet suspects may be of possible Borg design._

_While Captain Cisco seems convinced enough that these individuals are merely unfortunate victims of an encounter with the probe, as their story suggests, Starfleet Command has requested that the Enterprise assist with the investigation, given the unusual nature of their story, and their untimely arrival in regard to the recent increase in hostilities with the Borg._

_I have assigned the brunt of the investigation to Lieutenant Commander Data, who is currently on his way to my briefing room, with the rest of my officers, to discuss this matter which StarFleet has dubbed classified at the highest level._

It had been a long morning, even by his standards.

Captain Picard took another long sip of the rich, strong earl grey tea in his cup; he placed it back on the briefing table beside him, tapping the control pad beside him and shutting off his log recorder, just as he heard the door to the large briefing room open. He looked up, smiling as best he could at this hour of the morning from his place at the head of the table, as he watched his command crew enter and quickly take their customary places around the large, rectangular table.

He turned his eyes toward his first officer, watching him as he pulled out the chair beside him, offering it to Deanna. "Ensign Braydo says that we should be arriving at DS-9 within the hour, Captain," Will said, helping the ship's counselor slide her chair closer to the table, and then taking the seat next to her. "My curiosity's peaked, sir," Riker said, smiling curiously as he folded his hands on the table in front of him. "You don't call a classified briefing so early in the morning for no reason, after all."

"Indeed, Number One," Picard replied, nodding his head slowly as he glanced around the table at the rest of his crew, and the equally curious looks on all of their faces. "Especially when it involves the cancellation of shore leave," he said, an apologetic smile on his gaunt, chiseled face.

"I'm sorry to have to call you all here so early in the morning," the captain continued, "but it seems, however, that we have a rather urgent matter to investigate, one that seems to have alarmed Starfleet Command at the highest level," he said, turning his eyes back to his first officer again. "Admiral Dougherty himself requested that we be dispatched to investigate, when he contacted me early this morning."

"Investigate what, Captain?" Geordi asked, leaning forward and folding his hands in front of him, the briefing room's light glinting brightly off his visor. "What's going on?"

"Commander Data has been fully briefed on the incident that occurred at the station approximately three hours ago," Picard said, gesturing toward the pale-skinned android as he sat quietly and attentively at his place near the bulkhead windows. "I'll leave it to him to fill you all in on the details."

They all watched quietly, as Lieutenant Commander Data stood up and walked quickly to the large computer display on the wall behind the captain's chair. He wasted no time, as usual, as he switched on the display and went straight to work.

"Three hours, eighteen minutes ago," he said, turning his yellow-hued eyes back toward his companions as a large tactical plot appeared on the screen beside him, "Science Officer Jadzia Dax detected a tightly focused spacial and temporal anomaly that appeared approximately four hundred fifty-three thousand kilometers away from the event horizon of the sector's stable wormhole."

"While much smaller and more tightly focused than the wormhole itself, the energy levels displayed by the phenomenon, even for it's relatively short duration, were significantly larger than the emissions normally encountered when the primary wormhole opens," Data continued, tapping the small control in his hand and watching as the tactical display changed in concert with it.

"I'll say," Geordi said, a tone of utter disbelief in his voice as he studied the ridiculous looking plot on the display beside his android friend. "Those power output levels are almost a thousand times higher than the ones produces by the station's wormhole, at least the numbers I saw the last time we were there."

"One thousand, three hundred sixty-three point seven times, Geordi," Data corrected, rather quickly. "To be precise."

"But how's that possible, Data?" Geordi asked, his nimble mind quickly assessing the almost unbelievable figures on the display in front of them. "The laws of physics don't change, not even in a wormhole," he said, turning his attention to his captain as he continued. "The amount of power produced directly correlates to the spacial distortion the wormhole produces."

"If these numbers are right," Geordi said, shaking his head in disbelief, "then this little guy would have been powerful enough to whip you from one side of the galaxy to the other," he said, looking back at his companions again, "assuming you were able to withstand the trip."

"Which, of course, you couldn't," Deanna interjected, nodding her head slowly in agreement. "The gravitational forces produced in such a powerful phenomenon would destroy anything that fell into it," she said, turning and looking back at Captain Picard again.

"Which is precisely why the _Enterprise _has been called in to investigate," Picard replied, nodding his head firmly. "Continue, Mister Data," he said, giving a nod to the android who stood a short distance from him.

"Immediately after the distortion dissipated," Data said, pressing the switch in his hand again and bringing up another group of images on the display, "the station's scanners detected two small objects drifting near the exact center of the phenomenon's location."

"That one looks like a ship," Riker said, frowning deeply as he studied the tactical display intently.

"It is a ship, Commander," Data replied, nodding his head as he watched Will and Geordi exchange a befuddled glance. "And a small probe of some type. Science Officer Dax's first examinations of the device seem to indicate that it bears remarkable similarities to several temporal displacement devices that were discovered onboard a decimated Borg vessel two years ago," he said. "She believe that, at least in theory, this device may be of Borg design itself."

"What about the ship?" Beverly Crusher asked, her own curiosity peaking as this strange situation continued unfold. "Was it a Borg design, too?"

"No, Doctor," Data replied, shaking his head firmly. "The ship appears to bear no resemblance to any design in Federation databases, either Borg or any other design, for that matter."

"Well, where did it come from?" Beverly asked, raising her hands as she shrugged her shoulders in reply. "It had to come from somewhere."

"That's what we're being sent to find out, Doctor," Picard interjected, before Data could reply. "But it seems that Mister LaForge's estimates of how far one could travel through a spacial anomaly of this type may have been more correct than he realized," he said, watching his crew as they all exchanged another confused glance.

"Are you saying that ship traveled through that anomaly?" Riker asked, turning his eyes up to Data's again.

"If the ship's occupants are to be believed," Data replied, nodding his head slowly, "then, yes, sir."

"Occupants?" Deanna asked, a look of intense surprise and confusion on her face. "Are you saying there were _people _on board that vessel when it came through that thing?"

"Yes, Counselor," Data replied again, quite politely, as his companions listened in complete, stunned silence. "Four adults and three children, all humanoid, of varying ages."

"But that's impossible," Riker said, shaking his head slowly as he looked back toward his captain. "No ship could survive a trip through something like that, much less the people inside it."

"No ship that we know of, sir," Data corrected. "Officer Dax indicated in her initial report that the ship appears to be constructed of a material unknown to us," he said, watching as the _Enterprise's _officers all looked around at each other quietly. "It is possible, at least in theory, that it may have been able to withstand the forces inside the phenomenon and emerge intact."

"Assuming all of this is correct, Jean-Luc," Doctor Crusher interjected, her eyes meeting his as they looked at each other, "Where did these people come from?"

"That's what we've got to find out, Doctor," Picard replied, shaking his head. "Starfleet feels that, with the increase of Borg activity in this sector, that we can't just take their story at face value. We need to find evidence, and a way to determine exactly where they came from and what they're doing here."

"Have they found out anything from them, the ones on the ship, about where they're from?" Deanna asked, quietly.

"Yes," Picard replied, nodding his head firmly. "It's rather difficult to explain, however," he sighed, rubbing his hand slowly over his bald head as he turned his attention back to Data again. "Perhaps it might be best if Data just shows you."

Deanna turned her eyes toward the display, along with everyone else, as Data pressed the small control in his hand, bringing up a large, wide-field image. They all sat there quietly, in stunned silence, as Data gestured toward the board with his finger.

"This image is a composite of several taken by our most powerful long-range telescopes," Data said, pointing toward the large, white galaxy that appeared near the lower right corner of the image. "This is our galaxy, here."

"If the passengers aboard the small vessel are to be believed," Data continued, quite nonchalantly, "then the reference data that Science Officer Dax has been able to assemble thus far from their own star charts would put their point of origin roughly here," he said, gesturing to a small, spiral galaxy on the upper left edge of the screen. "Somewhere in galaxy NCG-221, a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy."

"That's impossible," Geordi said, staring at the screen in disbelief. "That's over two million light years from here."

"Two million, three hundred sixty-three thousand, five hundred, according to our best guesstimates," Data corrected again, eliciting an exasperated sigh from the _Enterprise's _chief engineer.

"But you're talking about _extragalactic_ travel, here, Data," Georgi said, turning his visor toward the _Enterprise's _android science officer. "Even in theory, it's problematic. We've never even been able to prove that wormholes can exist outside of galactic space. The gravitational forces that create them just aren't there."

"I'm beginning to understand _Star Fleet's _interest in this," Riker said, a deeply serious look spreading over his bearded face as he nodded his head, very slowly, and looked back at his captain.

"Indeed, Number One," Picard replied, turning his attention slowly among his officers as he spoke. "If these people are really who they say they are, and where they say they're from, then this could have serious repercussions for the Federation," he said, as they all listened intently.

"If this vessel was able to withstand such a journey, and the Borg somehow got their hands on it, and its technology," he said, his tone growing deeply serious as he spoke.

"Then the Borg would no longer be constrained to our quadrant," Lieutenant Worf said, his deeply ridged forehead bearing a heavy frown as his deep voice spoke for the first time since this briefing had begun. "They would be able to move throughout the galaxy with relative ease."

"Or from our galaxy to another," Picard replied, nodding his head slowly in agreement. "They could assimilate thousands of worlds, in our galaxy alone, in a fraction of the time it's taken them to wreak havoc in the Delta quadrant, and there would be nothing to stop them from moving beyond the boundaries of our own galaxy when they were finished."

"It's imperative that we determine where these people are from, and what they're doing here," Captain Picard said, quite firmly, seeing now that his officers were fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. "Commander Data and Lieutenant LaForge will be in charge in assessing the ship and its technology, along with assisting Jadzia Dax with any analysis of the probe that brought them here."

"Apparently, some of the ones on the ship were wounded during the journey," Picard continued. "Doctor Crusher, I want you to work with Doctor Bashir on the station," he said, watching as his chief medical officer nodded her head slowly. "Let's extend every olive branch we can. These people aren't our enemies, at least not until we've determined they are. I want you to help them in any way you can, and see if you and the good doctor can determine anything about them at all from a medical perspective."

"Lieutenant Worf will assist Security Chief Odo," the captain said, turning his attention to his large Klingon security chief. "If the Borg _are_ somehow aware of or involved in their arrival, I want to know everything that's going on inside that station and outside of it."

"Understood, sir," Worf replied, with a firm nod of his dark-haired head.

"Councelor," the captain continued, his tone softening a bit as he leaned close to her, "You and Commander Riker will be our first point of contact when we arrive. See what you can learn about them. I want to know, as best we can, who we're dealing with here. Captain Cisco says that they seem cordial and peaceful enough, but I want to know as much about them as you can find out."

"Yes, Captain," Deanna replied, as she folded her hands on the table in front of her, glancing over at Will as he nodded his head slowly in agreement.

"Any questions?" Captain Picard asked, glancing quickly around the table around him; he sat there quietly, for a long moment, his eyes shifting slowly from one of his officers to another.

"Let's get on with it, then," he sighed, finally, nodding his head. "Dismissed."

He leaned back in his chair, watching quietly as his officers stood up and walked quickly out of the briefing room. He turned slowly in his chair, as the gentle _hiss _of the doors filled the room, and then sat there, folding his hands thoughtfully in front of him, as he gazed out at the stars that slipped slowly past the _Enterprise _as she made her way toward the space station, and whatever destiny, and surprises, awaited them.

_Our story continues very shortly, as Anakin, Padmé, and the others find themselves suddenly thrust into a strange... but vaguely familiar world. What will they find, and what adventure awaits, as two galaxies collide through space and time? We'll find out, Force willing, as our story continues..._


	2. We Boldly Went Where We Didnt Want To Go

**Chapter 2: We Boldly Went Where We Didn't Want To Go**

_On their way home from Tatooine for a long-overdue vacation on Naboo, the Avenger encountered a strange probe drifting through space near the Outer Rim territories. Unable to resist their curiosity, Anakin and Obi-Wan decided to drop out of hyperspace and take a look... and fate, as it seems, decided to take them on a wild, wild ride._

_Whipped from their home galaxy by a violent spatial anomaly generated by the mysterious probe, our heroes awakened to find themselves lost, their ship's navigational system apparently broken, with nothing but a strange space station nearby. Not knowing what to expect, they realize they need help, and they limped their wounded vessel toward the station to begin to search fro answers._

_Shortly thereafter, a veteran captain in a galaxy millions of light years away finds himself awakened in the early hours of the morning by Starfleet Command. With an unbelievable story and scant details to go on, he and his crew embark on a journey to the space station DS-9, where a small family, and their trusted friend, waits for answers, and presents even more questions for the captain and the crew of the Enterprise._

"Go ahead, Chief," Sisko's deep, brooding voice boomed, as he cut his eyes toward his chief engineer and folded his hands behind his back. "Energize."

"Aye, sir," O'Brien replied with a nod, as he tapped the transporter display, and then slid his fingertips smoothly down the control glide pads; he looked up, turning his gaze from his hands and the controls toward the shimmering transporter pads a short distance from him. He smiled, quite widely, as he saw Captain Picard, Will Riker, Deanna Troi, Doctor Crusher and Commander Data slowly materialize on the pads in front of him.

O'Brien glanced at his captain, amused, as he watched Benjamin Sisko grin almost as widely as he was; it was a rare treat, indeed, as the steely eyed, dark-skinned captain rarely allowed one to escape at this hour of the morning.

"Permission to come aboard, sir," Captain Picard said, over the fading hum of the transporter as he and his party stepped down off the pads.

"Permission granted," Sisko replied, extending his hand to Picard as the _Enterprise's _commanding officer returned his smile. "With pleasure, I might add."

"The pleasure's mine, Captain," Jean-Luc replied, shifting his eyes, and a quick nod to Miles O'Brien, his old transporter chief, and Jadzia Dax, as they came and stood next to Sisko.

"Hello, Captain," Jadzia chimed, quite pleasantly. "It's been far, far too long."

"It has indeed," Jean-Luc replied, just as pleasantly, as he turned and looked at the officers who'd accompanied him. "I believe you all remember my crew?"

"Of course, sir," Miles replied, raising his eyebrow as he and Will Riker exchanged a sly grin. "They're rather hard to forget, if you don't mind my saying so."

"You're looking well, Commander," O'Brien chimed, as Lieutenant Commander Data walked over and stood beside him. "It seems you haven't aged a bit in the last three years."

Deanna and Will both exchanged an amused glance, as a profoundly confused look spread across the android officer's face. "I do not age, Chief," Data replied, quite matter-of-factly. "My external features looked exactly like this on the day I was constructed; they will look the same on the day I go offline. I fail to understand why you would anticipate that I would..."

"It was a joke, Data," O'Brien sighed, chuckling under his breath. "And no, you haven't changed a bit."

Benjamin Sisko wasn't a bit surprised, when Picard, after a brief laugh at O'Brien's comment, and the curious look on Data's face, shifted his attention and thoughts immediately back to the events that had brought them to his station. "I believe we have urgent business that needs attending to, if I'm not mistaken, Captain?" he asked, as Dax and Sisko exchanged a knowing, curious glance.

"You haven't changed one bit, Jean-Luc," Benjamin sighed, turning and gesturing toward the doorway behind him. "Always ready to dispense with the pleasantries and get on with the business at hand."

"Well, this business seems to be rather important, at least as far as Starfleet is concerned," Picard replied, he and his officers following Sisko and the others out into the corridor as the doors hissed open. "What can you tell us about what you've learned so far?" he asked, as he walked briskly along beside his old friend.

"We don't know much more than we did when we first contacted Starfleet," Benjamin sighed, raising his voice a bit as they made their way out into the station's busy, busting main corridor. Even at this hour of the morning, _DS-9 _was a busy place, and the din of conversation and other sounds filled its corridors; the station never slept, only its inhabitants did, and they only did in shifts.

"We've quarantined the device they say brought them here, and their ship is currently moored at docking pod seven," he said, gesturing toward the bank of transparent aluminum windows to their left.

Picard's sharp eyes followed Sisko's finger toward the small, rather simple looking transport that floated at the end of the adjoining docking pod; he glanced back over his shoulder toward his first officer, as he heard Riker speak.

"Doesn't look like much," Will snorted, somewhat disdainfully, as he watched the rather large group of officers in environment suits floating and hopping around the hull of the small ship like bees around a hive, an array of scanners and other devices in their gloved hands as they worked.

"It may not look like much, Commander," Jadzia interjected, as Will and Deanna turned their attention toward her, "but that little ship has technology the likes of which even _Dax _hasn't seen."

Will still found it hard to believe that the chubby, worm-like symbiont that lived inside Jadzia's beautiful young body had lived the equivalent of eight lifetimes; for Dax to admit that the small ship's technology exceeded even _his _long life and experience was saying something, indeed.

"And don't even ask us what it's made of yet," she sighed, shaking her head as she and the others approached the doorway to the captain's main briefing room. "We're still trying to figure that out," she sighed, cocking her eyebrow curiously as Sisko reached over and keyed in his entry code, and the door hissed open. "But it's safe to say it's the hardest alloy we've ever encountered."

"What about it's crew?" Troi asked, as Sisko and the others turned their attention to her. "Have you found out anything about them?"

"We haven't asked too many questions as of yet, Counselor," Benjamin replied, gesturing toward the table that rested near the center of the briefing room. "We've focused on the ship more than them, for the moment. We've made them comfortable, and given them guest quarters in the visiting dignitary's section," he said, glancing back at Picard as he saw the venerable captain raise his eyebrow curiously. "But, to be completely honest, Jadzia and I felt it best to wait until you arrived before asking too many questions."

"Don't worry, Jean-Luc," Benjamin interjected, instinctively knowing what his old friend was about to ask as he saw the concern on Picard's face. "Security Chief Odo's keeping a close eye on them."

"Why didn't you want to question them until we arrived?" Deanna asked, a curious frown on her face as the dark-haired science officer and her captain exchanged a long, quiet glance.

"As you know, Counselor, Dax has very limited empathic abilities," Jadzia said, following Deanna and the others into the conference room, taking a seat beside her as the doors hissed shut behind them. "Nothing to compare with yours, of course," she continued, folding her hands in front of her as she offered the _Enterprise's _counselor a pleasant smile, "but enough for him to gather at least a decent idea about the nature of the people he meets."

Will still found it a bit confusing, determining whether Jadzia, or Dax, was speaking, yet he listened with rapt attention, as did the others, as the chestnut-haired science officer's gaze grew deeply thoughtful, the dark brown spots near her temples seeming to darken as her cheeks flushed a bit. "I've encountered an incredible number of beings, from all kinds of races across the galaxy," Jadzia sighed, glancing around the room at her companions. "I've never met any like them before."

"Something unusual?" Picard asked, swiveling his chair at the head of the table toward her as he spoke.

"They look just like us, for the most part," Jadzia replied, shrugging her shoulders as she looked back at him. "To non-empathic beings, they seem perfectly normal. But there's something... I don't know, very unusual about them," she said, a somewhat pained, curious look on her face as she looked back to Deanna again.

"Something that bothers you?" Deanna asked, leaning forward in her chair and resting her elbows on the table in front of her.

"I don't think _bother_ is the right word," Jadzia frowned, deeply contemplative as she laced her fingers together tightly in front of her. "_Unnerving_ is more like it."

"They have an extremely powerful presence," Jadzia continued, doing her best to put into words what she had felt when they first met their strange new guests. "Even the children," she said shaking her head as she looked back at her companions curiously. "I've never sensed or felt anything like it, ever."

"That's why we thought it was best to wait until you arrived, Counselor," Sisko interjected, bringing the attention of the small group back to him again. "Anything that unnerves the old man unnerves me. I wanted you here before we asked too many questions."

"Is there any reason to think they might be hiding something?" Picard asked; he watched as Jadzia shook her head firmly.

"No reason that I could detect, Captain," she replied. "In all honesty, I think they were more frightened than anything. Several of the children had some pretty serious scrapes and cuts, so it looks like their ride through the wormhole that brought them here was pretty rough," she said, glancing over at Doctor Crusher. "Julian wanted to do some tests and offer them some help, but none of their injuries seemed life threatening, and Benjamin thought it'd be best to wait till you got here before we did much more than get them settled."

"Well," Picard sighed, looking over at Beverly as her eyes turned toward him. "It seems that might be one of the first olive branches we can offer them, Doctor," he said, standing up and tugging the bottom of his tunic firmly. "Why don't you bring your medical kit and accompany Counselor Troi and me to their quarters. Will," he continued, turning toward his first officer as the others stood up from their seats, "You and commander data go with Chief O'Brien to their ship. See if you can help with the investigation."

"Aye, Sir," Will replied, nodding his head firmly, and Picard and the others watched as he and Data followed Chief O'Brien out of the room and out into the bustling corridor.

"Lieutenant, why don't you come to their quarters and introduce us?" Jean-Luc asked, turning a polite smile toward Dax again. "Starfleet advised me that you were the first to meet them, it might go a long way to easing their minds if the first face they see again is yours, rather than a group of individuals they've never seen before."

"I'd be happy to, Captain," Jadzia replied, as she turned and started toward the door, with Picard, Doctor Crusher, and Deanna following close behind him. "To be honest, I'd like to spend a good bit more time with them," she said, smiling back at him as she stopped and turned toward him again. "The few moments I spent with them earlier today was exhilarating, to say the least."

"We'll meet up with you on the main command deck when we're finished, Captain," Jean-Luc called over his shoulder toward Sisko, who still stood near the head of the conference table. "Keep me appraised of the situation and notify me if there are any more communiques from Star Fleet, won't you?"

"As you wish, Captain," Benjamin called after him, as Picard and the others made their way out into the main corridor and toward the turbolifts.

He thought, for a split second, about joining them; just as he was about to, he heard the familiar chirp of his communicator, and he reached up and tapped it quickly with his fingertips.

"Sisko here," Benjamin said, turning his thoughtful gaze toward the window behind him, watching as a rather large transport disengaged from the docking pod across from him and fired its maneuvering thrusters, backing slowly out into space, its hull shining brightly from the station lights that reflected from it.

"_Captain, we're picking up something unusual on the long-range scanners," _he heard Kira Nyres's familiar voice call. "_Could you come up to the command deck for a moment?"_

"I hope you're making an attempt at a bad joke, Colonel," Sisko quipped, scowling as he straightened up and stiffened a bit. "I think we've had enough 'unusual' events for the time being, don't you?"

"_I have to agree, Captain," _Kyra replied, the obvious exasperation in her voice eliciting the hint of a smile from her commanding officer. "_You know I like things quiet, as much as you do, but I'm afraid this isn't a joke."_

"Anything of concern, Colonel?" Benjamin asked, his brow furrowing as he watched the transport outside fire its main engines and turn out, in a smooth, wide arc, into open space.

"_I'm not sure, Captain," _Kira replied, a hint of trepidation readily apparent in her voice. "_I'd just feel a lot better if you came up and had a look, if it's all the same with you."_

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Sisko replied and, reaching up and tapping his communicator once again, he turned and made his way out of the conference room, back into the steadily increasing crowd that filled the halls beyond the conference room's doors.

It was going to be a busy day.

* * *

This space station was huge.

He'd not encountered many of them that were this large; indeed, most of the truly interstellar outposts he and Obi-Wan had visited over the years were small, simple trading posts and fueling depots. But this one was massive, an enormous circular facility, with tremendous, gently curving spires that rose into space both above and below it. Pocked with windows, some lit and some not, the brightly shining, silver-colored structure seemed to twinkle, much like the city lights of Coruscant on a dark, moonless night.

Anakin stood near the large, crystal clear window of the room where he, and his family, now found themselves waiting. He tucked his hands into his pockets, his brow furrowing a bit as he looked out across the center of the massive, spherical station.

Though he didn't like the situation that they now found themselves in, he couldn't resist his natural, curious nature. He'd gleaned quite a bit of information about their new environment from his vantage point, about midway up one of the upper spires of the structure; besides, he thought to himself, it never hurt to know as much about one's adversaries as possible, and though he had no reason yet to suspect that those who now played host to them might _be _their adversaries, it never hurt to be prepared.

He looked down, as his fingers suddenly found the small, smooth object that rested in the bottom of his pocket. He pulled it out, smiling as he saw the bright blue, smoothly polished stone that lay in his palm.

Lana had found it, just before they'd left Tatooine, and given it to him. It was an agate, and though there were common among the rocks of his old home planet, it was rare to find one so smoothly polished by Tatooine's ever-present sand and winds. Its only intrinsic value was in the fact that his youngest daughter had presented it to him as a gift, and he had accepted it with the same enthusiasm as a Hutt would have shown when presented with a transport full of Endulathan gold.

He rolled the smooth little stone over slowly in his hand as he turned his blue eyes back out toward the central portion of the station. Even from this vantage point, he could see the small, suited figures that crawled around the surface of their ship, various gadgets and tools in their white-gloved hands as they milled about in the open vacuüm of space.

The spires seemed to be living quarters, from what he had managed to glean from his observations of the busy, bustling station. The outer ring was pocked with numerous open cargo holds and docking rings, and the number and type of ships that utilized them was astounding, even for someone who'd spent most of his life in space and in ports of all kinds. They ranged in size from small cruisers to massive starships, the most impressive of which was the one that was moored at one of the largest docks adjacent to their own ship.

She was a thing of beauty, that much was certain. Anakin had seen his share of large transports, over the years, but he'd never seen a ship so graceful in its construction. She had to be a full six, maybe seven hundred meters long, at least; it was hard for him to be sure, from this vantage point high above her, but he marveled at the smooth lines and curves of her construction.

She seemed to be a cruiser of some type, with a propulsion system design he'd never seen before. The ship's engines, as best he could tell, seemed to be perched atop two smoothly shaped pylons that jutted at opposing angles from the ship's lower hull. A stout, wide base anchored the massive forward saucer section to the rest of the ship, and she seemed more like a work of art, almost fragile in a way, a huge contrast to the shapeless, bulky freighters and frigates that he'd grown so accustomed to.

Anakin looked over beside him and smiled, as he felt her tremor, and her hand, as it fell gently on his shoulder. "Whatcha looking at?" Padmé asked, smiling fondly at him as she squeezed his shoulder gently and wrapped her free arm around his.

"Oh, I was just standing here, looking at that ship that arrived a little while ago," Anakin sighed, nodding toward the great vessel as Padmé looked out of the window with him. "I've never seen anything like it," he said, turning a curious, but somewhat troubled smile back to his wife as he watched her shake her head and sigh deeply. "Have you?"

"No, I sure haven't," Padmé sighed, squeezing his arm gently as she pulled herself a bit closer to him; she looked up at him. "It's a pretty thing though, isn't it?" she asked, her smile widening as Anakin sighed and nodded his head, an incredulous look on his face as he did so.

"Yeah, she is," he agreed, he and Padmé both looking back out at the strange ship again. "It almost looks like it'd be too fragile to fly," he said, his gaze finding hers again. "I'd like to get a look at it, and see how it's put together," he said, his grin widening a bit as he watched Padmé close her eyes and laugh quietly, nodding her head.

"I figured as much," she chuckled, rubbing his arm affectionately as she opened her lovely brown eyes and smiled up at him. "Well, maybe they'll give you a tour, once we figure out where we are and what we're going to do next," she sighed. Padmé watched him, as he glanced back over his shoulder toward the couch and chairs near the center of the room, where Luke, Leia, Lana, and Shanda sat, talking quietly with one another.

"How's Leia, and Lana?" he asked, keenly aware of the pain that both of his daughters were feeling at the moment.

"Leia's head still hurts a bit, and Lana was whining about the cut on her leg a minute ago," Padmé sighed; she looked up at him, offering him a reassuring smile as she saw the troubled look on his face. "They'll be fine, baby, don't worry," she said, instantly recognizing the worried look on his face as he turned his gaze toward his children again. "It's nothing serious."

Her own countenance fell a bit as she watched him look at their children for a long, quiet moment. "It's not just that," Anakin sighed, finally, his troubled eyes finding hers again. "It's just that the kids were looking forward, so much, to spending some time at the lake with Shanda," he said, a troubled smile on his lips as Padmé reached up and gently caressed his cheek.

"They just spent two weeks stuck in the desert with Owen and Beru, and now they're stuck here," he whispered, the disappointment clearly evident in his own voice. "It just doesn't seem fair to them, that's all."

"You're worried about the kids," Padmé replied, smiling fondly at him as she finally realized what it was that was bothering him. "None of this is your fault, Ani," she said quietly as he nodded, very weakly, back at her. "None of us knew this was going to happen."

"Yeah, it is," he sighed, looking back out toward their ship again. "If I hadn't let my curiosity get the best of me, we'd never have stopped to look at that probe, and we'd still be..."

"It wasn't your fault," Padmé said again, gently turning his face back to hers again. "And don't you dare try to blame yourself, either," she said, squeezing his cheek gently as her gaze, and her tone, sharpened a bit with a hint of rebuke. "If it hadn't been for you thinking so quickly and engaging the shields before that thing grabbed hold of us, then none of us would be here right now, wherever here is," she said, a tender smile returning to her lips as she gazed fondly up at him.

"Besides," she sighed, shifting her eyes, just as he did, to Obi-Wan as he walked over slowly to join them. "If you're looking for someone to blame," she continued, purposefully raising her voice as their old friend approached and stopped just short of them as Padmé wrapped her arms around Anakin's neck, cutting a sarcastic smirk toward the slightly graying Jedi, "then blame Obi-Wan."

"Excuse me?" Obi-Wan asked, clearly taken back and caught off guard as Anakin rested his forehead on Padmé's shoulder and began to laugh quietly to himself as she glared sarcastically back at him. "What did I do?"

"You know good and well what you did," Padmé snorted, resisting the urge to laugh like Anakin was as she watched Obi-Wan place his hand on the chest of his tunic, a look of sardonic innocence on his bearded face. "You got us into this mess with your little 'treasure hunt' remember?"

"It wasn't me," Obi-Wan countered defensively, carefully holding the hot cup in his hand as he pointed behind him, to the corner where Artoo and Threepio sat quietly. "Artoo's the one who found it," he said, shaking his head, his long, grey streaked hair tossing around his shoulders as he did so; he turned around quickly as, over his shoulder, he heard Artoo let fly with a loud electronic raspberry.

"And now you're trying to blame it on a defenseless little astrodroid," Padmé interjected, watching with a profound sense of satisfaction as Obi-Wan turned a sheepish, somewhat contrite expression back to them again. "Shame on you. What are you drinking, anyway?" she asked, frowning down at the dark-colored liquid in the cup he held in his hand.

He'd been fiddling with the contraption that the amicable, brown-haired young woman they'd met when they first arrived had shown them since they'd been in the room; a _replicator, _she'd called it, and Padmé had listened, with a healthy share of doubt, as she'd told them what it could do.

"I have no idea," Obi-Wan replied; he paused, frowning a bit as he took another sip of the hot, ebony liquid in the small cup. "Something called _coffee_, I think the computer said," he replied, shrugging his shoulders as he licked his lips, and then held the cup out to her. "It's not bad, but it's different, that's for sure," he said, both he and Anakin watching with a sense of amusement as Padmé took the cup from him and eyed it warily.

"And it just made this, out of thin air?" she asked, raising a wary eyebrow as she glanced back up at Obi-Wan again.

"Sure did," Obi-Wan replied, smiling broadly at Anakin as he watched him lean down and sniff the cup's contents as Padmé held it up to his nose. "Damnedest thing I've ever seen, too. It's really quite remarkable. Artoo seems to think it uses some kind of molecular phase induction system to simply recreate the structure of whatever you want it to prepare for you," he said. "Though I have no idea what form of matter or energy it's using to create it."

His grin widened further, as Padmé frowned and took a cautious sip of the steaming hot liquid. "Not bad, is it?" he asked, as he watched her lick her lips and look at the cup curiously.

"You're right, it's different," she replied, a sly grin spreading slowly across her lips as she held the cup up for Anakin, holding it carefully as he took a small sip as well. "Whatdya think?" she asked, as she watched him frown and gently push the cup away.

"Yuck," Anakin snorted, watching with a mixture of amusement and disgust as Padmé took another sip or two. "It reminds me of that stuff Master Yoda used to drink, only a lot thinner," he said; he shook his head as he watched Padmé pull the cup back defensively as Obi-Wan reached for it.

"Oh, no you don't, go get your own," she said, frowning at the venerable Jedi Master and nodding toward the replicator in the corner, where Artoo sat fiddling with its controls as Threepio watched quietly over his dome. "It's the least you can do, considering all the trouble you've caused," she grinned, watching as he shook his head and nodded, then turned and headed back toward the replicator again.

"And see if you can get that thing to make something the kids like, while you're at it," she called after him, her grin widening as he stopped, spun on his heels toward her, and then bowed reverently. "They're probably getting hungry about now."

"Yes, m'lady," Obi-Wan replied, bowing as deeply as he had when he'd first met her on Naboo all those years ago. She and Anakin laughed quietly to themselves as they looked back at one another, and then they both turned their attention, as did Obi-Wan, toward the door of the large, ornate room as they suddenly heard the two melodic tones echo through the room around them.

"It seems we have company," Obi-Wan said, he and Anakin exchanging a wary glance as the children, and Shanda, all fell silent and looked over at them.

"Shanda, why don't you get the door?" Padmé said, gesturing toward the small control pad near it as she, Anakin, and Obi-Wan all walked over toward the small circle of couches and chairs where Luke, Leia, and Lana sat with her. "I think it's the green button, the large one, just off to the left, there," she said, watching as Shanda stood up and walked toward the door.

"Yes, Aunt Padmé," Shanda replied obediently; Padmé and Anakin exchanged another glance, both of them taking a long, deep breath as Shanda reached over and, pausing only for a second or two, pressed the control switch.

* * *

As the door hissed open quickly, Shanda was greeted by the familiar face that she and the others had seen earlier.

"Hello... Shanda, isn't it?" Jadzia chimed pleasantly as she folded her hands in front of her. "Am I disturbing you?" she asked, glancing quickly over the young woman's shoulder at the small group that waited quietly behind her. Jadzia took a deep breath of her own, as the same, powerful presence she'd felt earlier washed over her again, and then shifted her attention back to the young, dusky haired woman in front of her.

"Yes," Shanda replied with a nod, returning the young woman's amicable smile, obviously pleased that she'd remembered her name. "And no, you're not disturbing us at all," she said, shifting her eyes quickly to the three other individuals that stood just behind Jadzia.

"I've brought some people with me that would like very much to meet all of you," Jadzia said, turning a bit and gesturing toward Captain Picard and the others. "May we come in?"

"Of course," Shanda replied, nodding her head slowly as she returned the cordial smile that Beverly Crusher offered her; she stepped to the side, making room as Jadzia led the small group through the doorway and into the room with them. "Uncle Anakin," she called, pressing the control pad and closing the door behind them as she glanced back over at her uncle, "We have visitors."

Anakin studied the little group, sizing them up quickly as he tuned his senses to the Force around him; though he still didn't understand the strange, unusual tremors that flowed through it, he could still clearly feel its presence, as well as that of the individuals that approached him.

"Hello, Anakin," Jadzia said, nodding toward him and Padmé as the two groups stopped, three on one side of the couches, three on the other, two worlds meeting for the first time - with her and the children smack in the middle. She smiled, watching as Anakin folded his hands in front of him, nodding and smiling quietly at her in return. He had a peaceful, calming spirit - it was one of the clearest things she'd felt since she'd met them.

"Captain Picard," Jadzia said, gesturing toward Anakin and the others as she turned her gaze back to Jean-Luc again, "I'd like to introduce Anakin Skywalker, and his family."

"Hello, Anakin," Jean Luc said, quite pleasantly, as he nodded politely toward the tall, blond-haired young man that stood before him. "I'm Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the _USS Enterprise."_

"This is my ship's counselor, Deanna Troi," Jean-Luc said, gesturing toward Deanna and Beverly, "and my ship's physician, Doctor Beverly Crusher."

"Hello," Deanna and Beverly both chimed in unison; they watched quietly, as did Captain Picard, as the three children who'd been sitting quietly on the couch stood up slowly and came to stand in front of their parents.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Anakin replied, placing his hands gently on Leia's shoulders as she stood close in front of him; he could sense that she, and her brother and sister, were still a bit nervous about this whole strange situation, and he gave her shoulders a gentle, reassuring squeeze as he nodded toward Padmé.

"This is my wife, Padmé," he said, as she nodded and smiled pleasantly at their strange new acquaintances and offered a pleasant hello. "Our children, Luke, Leia, and Lana," he said, nodding proudly at each of them as they, like their mother, smiled and exchanged greetings with the captain and his crew.

"Our niece, Shanda," he said, nodding toward her as she and Obi-Wan stood just to his right, "And our very close friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"A pleasure," Obi-Wan replied, as he and the captain exchanged a pleasant nod.

"Please, sit down, and make yourselves comfortable," Padmé said, her many years of diplomatic experience instinctively taking over, just as Anakin had hoped, and known, that it would as she gestured toward one of the large couches near them.

"Thank you," Captain Picard said, accepting her invitation without so much as a moment's hesitation. He watched, his eyebrow rising a bit, as the older, dark-haired child turned and looked up at her mother.

"Mom, my head still hurts," Leia whispered quietly, wincing a bit as Padmé brushed her dark hair to the side and gently examined the bandage on Leia's forehead.

"Jadzia tells us that the children suffered some injuries during your trip through the wormhole," Jean-Luc piped up, seizing the opportunity to extend his first olive branch as Obi-Wan and Shanda sat down next to him. "Doctor Crusher is quite a remarkable physician," he said, gesturing toward his chief medical officer as she sat quietly beside Deanna on the couch adjacent to them. "Perhaps she can help."

Padmé and Anakin exchanged a quiet glance, and she turned her gaze back to Leia as Anakin nodded his head. "Would you like the doctor to take a look at your cut?" she asked, as Beverly stood up and picked up her small medical kit that rested on the couch beside her.

"I promise, it won't hurt a bit," Beverly said, offering a smile that completely suited her usual, amicable bedside manner; she looked at Leia, somewhat amused as the young teenager sized her up, a bit suspiciously, and then slowly nodded her head.

"Sure, I guess," Leia said, very quietly, and then looked up at her mother one more time as Padmé nodded toward the couch.

"Sit down, and let the doctor take a look at you," Padmé said. She took a seat in the chair next to her daughter, watching quietly as Doctor Crusher knelt in front of Leia and immediately went to work.

"Thank you," Padmé said quietly, as she watched Beverly pause and look back at her. "I've been a little worried about her," she sighed, a weak smile on her face as she shrugged her shoulders. "We did the best we could with the first aid supplies, but..." She stopped, yet the look in her eyes conveyed what she was thinking, more clearly that words ever could.

Beverly smiled, as reassuringly as she could as she saw the troubled look on Padmé's face. A mother's love, it seemed, was a mother's love - no matter what galaxy one hailed from. "I'm sure she'll be just fine," she said, flicking the switch on her small medical scanner and moving it slowly across Leia's bandaged forehead. "And soon as we're done with your sister," she said, shifting her smile to the curious young girl who sat beside her patient, holding her hand protectively, "We'll look at the cut on your leg, okay?"

"So, Anakin," Captain Picard said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the young man sit down slowly on the arm of the chair where Padmé sat, "Jadzia tells us that you were brought here by some type of temporal disturbance that emanated from the probe you encountered?"

"I guess so," Anakin replied, nodding his head. "At least, that's what we _think _happened," he continued, shrugging his shoulders as he and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. "To be completely honest, we're not really sure what happened."

"We were on our way home when we found it," Padmé interjected, as she reached up and took Anakin's hand in hers, as he placed it gently on her shoulder. "Our droid picked it up on one of our long-range scanners, and we dropped out of hyperspace to have a look," she sighed.

"Droid?" Deanna asked, curiously.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce them," Anakin said, snapping his fingers and motioning for the droids to join them as he turned his attention to the corner where Artoo and Threepio had been standing quietly in the shadows.

Deanna and the others watched, somewhat shocked and amused, as the two unusual looking robots made their way over to join them. "Captain, these are our droids," he said, watching with an equal sense of amusement as Artoo rolled up beside him. "Artoo Deetoo," he said, as the little blue and silver droid let fly with a long string of electronic whistles and clicks, "and See-Threepio."

"Good morning," Threepio replied, nodding politely as he shuffled up behind Artoo as Anakin folded his arms across his chest and grinned widely, clearly amused by the blank, astonished stares on their guest's faces.

"I, um, forgot to mention the droids, Captain," Jadzia replied, smiling sheepishly back at Picard as he turned an incredulous gaze toward her.

"Droids?" Jean-Luc asked, glancing over and watching as Artoo swung his sensor dome around slowly, his electronic eye swiveling briskly as he sized each of them up, whistling and clicking quietly to himself as he did so. "You mean... androids? Like Data?"

"I'm not sure quite how to describe them yet, Captain," Jadzia replied, her sheepish grin returning as she watched the shiny golden droid rap his smaller counterpart soundly on the top of his dome.

"Stop staring at everyone, Artoo," Threepio chided. "It's very impolite!"

The captain watched in amazement as the smaller one emitted another incoherent melody of clicks and whistles; if he didn't know better, he'd swear that the two seemed to be arguing.

"Behave yourselves, you two," Anakin muttered through one side of his mouth, tossing them both a powerful stare.

"Artoo, and See...?" Picard repeated, genuinely amazed, as the two droids looked back at him.

"Threepio, sir, human-cyborg relations," the shiny gold droid piped, quite excitedly. "My facilities, and those of my counterpart, are at your disposal."

"Remarkable," Deanna sighed, shaking her head slowly; she turned her attention toward Obi-Wan, who sat directly across from her, as she heard him finally speak.

"Captain," Obi-Wan said, leaning forward and folding his hands in front of him, "Jadzia and Captain, Sisko, was it?" he asked, pausing as he watched Jadzia nod her head firmly. "They told us you've been examining the probe that brought us here," he said, as the captain nodded his head firmly. "Have you been able to find out anything about it that might help us get home?"

"I'm afraid not, as of the moment," Picard replied, shaking his head. "But we have our best people working on it."

"Well," Anakin sighed, "Anything you can do to help us figure out how to get home would be _greatly _appreciated," he said, glancing down at Padmé as she nodded her head firmly in agreement. "We were on our way home, for a vacation, when we ran into that thing. The next thing we knew, it'd locked onto us, and when we came to, we were here," he sighed.

Picard and the others watched quietly, as Anakin turned and looked out of the window thoughtfully for a moment. "And we don't even know where here is," he said, turning his attention back to the others again. "Our ship's navigational computer isn't working anymore; something about the probe's energy wave must've damaged it."

Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan as his old master picked up the conversation. "None of our star charts are even lining up," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "We're hoping that your people can help us fix it, so we can get back underway."

"Mister Kenobi," Picard said, slowly and quietly, his expression darkening somewhat; he chose his words carefully. "Do you and the others have any idea exactly where you are?" he asked, glancing over and watching as Anakin and Padmé looked at each other silently for a moment.

Picard turned his gaze quickly to Jadzia as he heard her speak. "Captain," she said, very quietly. "We haven't told them yet."

"Told us what?" Obi-Wan asked; he didn't like the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, the one that nagged at him, as he watched Picard and his entourage all exchange a long, silent glance.

"Captain," Deanna spoke up, keenly aware of the tense, uncomfortable situation that was beginning to emerge. "Why don't you and Lieutenant Dax take Anakin and Mister Kenobi down to main engineering?" she suggested. "It might be easier to explain things there, and perhaps Commander Data can tell them if he's found out anything helpful about the probe."

"Doctor Crusher and I can stay here with Shanda, Padmé, and the children," she said with a nod, doing her best to convey a quiet message to her captain, one that she knew he should recognize, after all these years. "As soon as she's finished treating Leia and Lana's wounds, we'll join you."

"If that's all right with you, of course?" Deanna offered, turning a pleasant smile to each of them, watching as they looked at each other quietly for a moment.

"Sounds fine to me," Anakin replied, shrugging his shoulders as he and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. "What do you think?" he asked, turning his gaze back to Padmé. "Will you be okay if we slip out for a few minutes?"

"Sure, go ahead," Padmé replied with a nod. "The droids will be here with us, and I'd rather stay put till the doctor's finished," she said, smiling warmly at him. "You go, and we'll catch up later, like the counselor suggested," she said, turning her smile to Deanna Troi. "I'm sure she'll know where to find you."

"Alright," Anakin sighed, nodding his head slowly as he stood up. "Luke, you stay here and help your mom and the doctor with your sisters, understand?"

"Sure, Dad," Luke replied, nodding obediently. "Can we get something to eat soon?" he asked, unable to resist the steady growling in his stomach any longer. "I don't know about anybody else, but I'm starving."

"You're _always_ starving," Leia snorted, drawing a smile from both Beverly and Deanna as the doctor retrieved a small dermal regeneration unit from her kit. "Can't you ever think of anything besides food?"

"Well, I think I can help you with that," Deanna piped, quite pleasantly, as she stood up and offered her hand to Luke and helped him up. "Why don't you and Shanda come with me," she said, wrapping her arm around his shoulder as she grinned at Shanda, "And I'll show you both how to use the food replicator."

"Looks like we're leaving you in good hands," Anakin sighed; Padmé closed her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "We'll be back in just a bit," he said softly, as they both exchanged a smile. "Call me if you need me, okay?" he said, as he stretched out his feelings toward her, touching that ever present gateway between their hearts.

"I will," she nodded. "Go on, we'll be fine," she said, watching Deanna as she led Luke and Shanda to the replicator and began to explain how it worked. "We'll see you in a bit."

She watched quietly as Anakin and Obi-Wan followed the others out into the hall, the door closing behind them with a hiss. She took a long, deep breath and, leaning forward in her chair and picking up the cup of coffee Obi-Wan had brought her earlier, she took a long quiet sip as she watched Doctor Crusher gently apply the dermal regenerator to Leia's wounded forehead.

_Hmmm... it seems that our heroes might be more lost than they realize! How will they react, when they learn just how lost they really are? We'll find out shortly as our story continues in Chapter 3:)_


	3. Strange New Worlds, Part 1

_**Chapter 3: Strange New Worlds, Part 1**_

_Author's Log, Star date 2303.14_

_Ripped from their home world by a temporal probe of mysterious origin, Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan now find themselves, along with the children and Shanda, onboard a massive space station in a strange, new galaxy. Their arrival has piqued the interest of Starfleet Command, as the mysterious probe bears the grim indications of - at least possibly - being of Borg origin._

_Fearing that the Borg may have developed a new time displacement device far more powerful than the one they attempted to use to assimilate Earth and prevent First Contact several years before, Starfleet has dispatched the fleet's flagship, the U.S.S. Enterprise, and its captain, Jean-Luc Picard, to investigate this strange occurrence – and the unusual little band of refugees that arrived with it._

_Made comfortable for the time being in guest quarters aboard the DS-9 station, Anakin, Padmé and crew are finally introduced to the captain and his officers by Jadzia Dax, chief science officer of the DS-9 outpost. As Anakin and Padmé share what they know about what happened with Captain Picard and his ship's counselor, Deanna Troi, Doctor Beverly Crusher sets about the task of rendering some long overdue first aid to Leia and Lana, both of whom suffered a few scrapes and bruises in their tumultuous journey through the violently powerful temporal anomaly._

_In the process, Captain Picard learns that the DS-9 crew have not, as of yet, told our little band exactly how far away from home they are and, sensing a bit of an awkward moment, Troi has suggested that the Captain take Anakin and Obi-Wan down to the station's engineering lab, hoping that Lieutenant Commander Data and Commander Geordi LaForge can break the startling news to them a bit more gently._

_With the Borg threat still very real to him, Jean-Luc can't help but be fascinated by these, the first visitors from an entirely different galaxy that he, or anyone else as far as he knows, has ever encountered. Following his counselor's advice, Captain Picard and Jadzia Dax are now escorting Anakin and Obi-Wan to the station's engineering lab, one level above the main promenade._

* * *

Obi-Wan stepped out of the turbolift as its doors opened with a smooth hiss. He crossed the wide walkway in a couple of steps, taking hold of the railing as he leaned over and looked down at the bustling promenade that lay one level below them.

It looked more like a small city market rather than a space station. He couldn't help but smile, and his shoulder length, silver-streaked hair tossed as he shook his head, fascinated by the totally new and unusual site that stretched out below them.

For the first time since he'd come to the Jedi Temple as a boy, he felt _completely _out of touch, and, though he wondered if he should feel ashamed for feeling this way, given what had just happened to them, he couldn't deny that he was relishing this. He scanned the crowd with his eyes, marveling at the almost endless array of strange, completely new races that milled about the station's main promenade deck. He'd never realized how accustomed he'd become to those that filled the great melting pot of the old Republic, and, seeing a new race from time to time wasn't something that was unusual to him, or to Anakin. But, seeing _so_ many new ones, all at once – that was something different entirely.

"Amazing, isn't it, Anakin?" he asked, turning an almost boyish grin to Anakin as he came and stood beside him. "Andiarre IV's outpost was nice, but this," he said, shaking his head as he and Anakin looked down, watching the crowd that milled about with a growing sense of wonder and amazement. "This is something else, isn't it?"

"It really is," Anakin sighed, nodding his head slowly as he marveled at the thick crowds, a veritable melting pot of races and colors. "Padmé would love this."

"You'll have to bring her down after while and let her take a look at it," Obi-Wan replied, looking back at his old apprentice with a smile. "You don't get a chance like this but once in a lifetime," he sighed, his eyes roving over the station, taking it all in with an almost rapturous lust. He looked back at Anakin, his grin widening as he watched his old padawan smile back at him. "It'd be a shame not to make the best of it."

Anakin couldn't help but be amused as he sense Obi-Wan's excitement. He even _looked _younger than he had in a long time. "You're really are enjoying this, aren't you, Master?" Anakin asked, almost laughing under his breath as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the railing.

"You are too, and don't deny it," Obi-Wan countered, his eyebrow cocking as he shook his finger is his young friend's face. "Besides, why shouldn't we?" he sighed, shaking his head again as he looked around the massive station. "You were always the one who use to tell me we needed to make the best of any situation," he said, grinning slyly as he watched Anakin sigh and shrug his shoulders.

"I know," Anakin sighed, nodding his head slowly. "And you're right, it is fascinating, and it's _definitely _a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said, looking around again himself for a moment.

Obi-Wan's smile faded, just a bit as a deeply thoughtful, pensive expression spread over Anakin's face as he leaned against the railing, looking out over the bustling promenade below. He could see the worry in his old apprentice's eyes, and he already knew what it was that was troubling him - and he understood it completely.

Obi-Wan, for the most part, had only himself to worry about, and, had it not been for his love for Anakin and his family, he could have easily called anyplace home. For that matter, Anakin, Padmé, Shanda and the children _were _his family, and they were here. If they should find themselves trapped in this strange new galaxy, then he would be leaving little behind that his heart held dear, since they were already here with him.

Anakin, Padmé, and Shanda's situations, however, were far, far different. Ruwee and Jobal, Owen and Beru, Darred, Sola, Ryoo and Pooja – much of their lives, and the people that they loved, were still back home, though they were now separated by Force only knows how much empty space. They had much more to lose, and he realized that, even though he knew that they _would _cope with whatever happened as best they could, that their own loss would be much greater if they couldn't find their way back home again.

Obi-Wan nodded his head slowly, as Anakin finally voiced what he already knew. "It's just… If it weren't for the kids, and, if I _knew _we could get home," Anakin said, lowering his voice a bit, "then I'd be enjoying this a whole lot more."

"Have you found something of interest, gentlemen?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan both looked back at Picard as he and Jadzia stepped off the turbolift, then came and stood close behind them.

Feeling it was better to keep their personal feelings to themselves at the moment, Obi-Wan smiled and turned toward the captain as he approached them. "Oh yes, Captain. I was just telling Anakin that he needed to bring Padmé down to have a look at all this," he said, nodding toward the promenade below. "She loves markets, especially ones with lots of different people and races," he said, walking along beside Anakin as they followed the captain slowly along the walkway, with Dax close behind. "She drags Anakin to every one she can find."

"Well, there are traders here from almost every quadrant of the galaxy," Captain Picard replied with a smile, making sure to point out the large-eared Ferrengi that bantered angrily with several individuals at the kiosk just below them. "Some are easier to deal with that others, but I'm sure she could find something that catches her fancy."

"I'll be off duty in a couple of hours, Anakin," Jadzia piped, quite lightly, her long brown ponytail bouncing as she stepped up close beside him. "I'd be happy to give you all a tour a bit later."

"That'd be nice, thank you," Anakin said, returning Jadzia's pleasant smile. "I'm sure that Padmé would appreciate that."

"This really is an amazing station, Captain," Anakin said, glancing up at the large, translucent domed ceiling that arched high above them. He could see the station's three large, smoothly curving spires that stretched majestically into space above them. "How long has it been here?" he asked, looking back to Picard again as he walked along slowly in front of him.

"For quite some time, now," Picard replied, glancing up and surveying the familiar old station thoughtfully himself, for a moment. "It was originally a Cardassian mining station, built in the year 2351. I believe its original name was _Terok Nor_, if my memory serves me correctly."

The captain glanced back over his shoulder at Obi-Wan as he heard him speak. "Cardassians?" Obi-Wan asked, curiously.

Picard smiled again, exchanging a quick glance with Jadzia. "It's rather complicated, Mister Kenobi," he said, amused by Jadzia's chuckle; he knew that she was completely aware of his fondness for history and archeology, and that he was - for all intensive purposes - enjoying this more than he probably should be at the moment.

"But, suffice it to say," Picard said, "they're a warlike race that occupied Bajor, a nearby planet, for some time."

"Eighteen years, Captain," Jadzia interjected, drawing the Captain's gaze once again as they rounded the corner that lead to the engineering lab. "But Kira says it felt much longer."

Captain Picard couldn't help but notice the curious expression on his guest's faces. "Kira Nyres, the station's second in command," he said, anticipating the question that would likely follow. "She's a former major in the Bajoran Military, and it's quite well known that she carries no great affection for her former taskmasters."

Captain Picard slowed his pace a bit, allowing Anakin and Obi-Wan ample time to enjoy the grand view of the station's exterior the large window that ran the length of the walkway offered them. "When the Cardassians first invaded Bajor," he said, stopping next to Obi-Wan as they all paused at the large observation platform, "they built this station, and it served as their primary military outpost and base of operations until the occupation ended, as Jadzia noted, eighteen years later."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a long, quiet glance. "Why did they invade them, Captain?" Anakin asked, finally turning his eyes back to Picard again.

"Financial and commercial reasons, primarily," Picard replied with a nod. "The planet Bajor boasts some of the richest natural resources in the quadrant," he said. "When the Bajorans refused to deal with them openly, the Cardassians decided that forcing their hand with a military solution seemed the next logical step."

Anakin shook his head, laughing quietly to himself as he ran his hands slowly over the railing. "_Greed is the root that allows evil to flourish_," he said softly, with a nod of his head.

Obi-Wan grinned, and then looked out toward the majestic view of the _Enterprise_ again as it rested in space, docked at one of the upper pylons above them. It'd been a long time since he'd heard that old proverb, and he was pretty sure that he remembered the day Yoda had shared it with Anakin, not long after he'd first taken the boy as his apprentice.

Anakin looked up, instantly feeling the Captain and Jadzia's gaze as they looked thoughtfully at him. "It's an old saying that a very wise, old teacher once shared with me, Captain," Anakin said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It seems it truly is a small world, after all."

"How so?" Jadzia asked curiously.

"My wife's home world of Naboo," Anakin sighed, sliding his hand slowly along the railing as he stood up straight once again. "It was occupied in much the same way, for the same reasons, a long time ago," he said, watching as Picard and Jadzia exchanged a quiet glance.

"It wasn't _that _long ago, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, drawing Anakin's gaze as he grinned back at him. "I was there, If you remember."

"Twenty seven years," Anakin shot back, amused by the deep frown that suddenly appeared on his old mentor's face.

"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan asked, incredulously.

"Absolutely, Master," Anakin replied with a grin and a nod. "I was nine years old then, if _you _remember," he said, watching with even more amusement as Obi-Wan frowned again, then began to thoughtfully tick off the years on his fingers. "Or is your memory starting to give you trouble? I hear that's common for people your age."

"Fine example for your children, _you _are," Obi-Wan snorted, turning a disgusted smirk back to the window as Anakin grinned widely at him. "I thought I taught you to respect your elders, not make fun of them."

Picard couldn't help but be amused; Anakin and Obi-Wan's levity was quite contagious, and he leaned close to the railing, resting his own elbows on it as he looked up at his ship, shining like a jewel as the sunlight glinted off it's silver-white hull.

"Well, soon after the occupation ended," Picard continued, drawing his guest's attention once more, "the Bajoran provisional government requested that Starfleet assume command of the station, and the official designation given to it was Deep Space Nine."

"When the Bajoran wormhole was discovered nearby shortly after that," he sighed, nodding his head slowly, "Starfleet moved the station to its present location and, well, suffice it to say that things changed rather quickly."

Anakin and Obi-Wan both looked back to Jadzia as they heard her speak up. "Speaking of the wormhole," she said, nodding toward the window as she saw the telltale blue flash catch her eye.

Captain Picard's gaze followed Anakin and Obi-Wan's to the window. "Oh, excellent," he said, smiling as he saw the wormhole's even horizon flash again. "It appears you gentlemen are right on time."

Anakin felt his jaw drop, and he stood there, his mouth agape in wonder and amazement, as the blackness of space suddenly gave way to a swirling blossom of electric whites and deep, rich blues. "Sweet Force," he whispered, shaking his head as he watched the plume of brilliant light and energy erupt from the even horizon as the wormhole opened, and, where only blackness had existed a moment before, one of the most wondrous spectacles that he'd ever seen suddenly sprang to life.

"Gentlemen," Captain Picard said, rather proudly, "The Bajoran Wormhole, the only stable wormhole known to exist in our galaxy."

"Did you say… _stable?" _Obi-Wan stammered, an incredulous gaze on his bewildered face as he watched the captain nod his head firmly. "As in predictable?"

Anakin watched, a faint glimmer of hope growing in his heart, as a small vessel suddenly appeared from the mouth of the massive phenomenon, then banked smoothly and arced toward the station. "It's nearest even horizon is here, but yes, it opens and terminates in exactly the same place each time," Jadzia explained, as the captain and Obi-Wan both looked back at her. "It's terminus on the other end is in the Ildran System, in what we call the Gamma quadrant, nearly seventy thousand light years from here."

"How long does it take to travel through it?" Anakin asked, his deep blue eyes tracking the small vessel as it banked, flashing in the sunlight like a gloorfish in a clear blue Naboo stream.

"Not very long, actually," Jadzia replied, clasping her hands behind her back. "The wormhole only allows travel at sub light speeds, but the temporal warp effect reduces what would take years to just a few moments."

Obi-Wan shook his head, turning his eyes once again to the marvelous spectacle before them. "It can't just be coincidence that we came _here, _to this exact spot in their galaxy, so close to something like this, Anakin," he said, clenching his fist tightly, pounding it on the railing as he and Anakin exchanged another glance. "It _has _to be linked, somehow."

"We've suspected the same thing, Master Kenobi," Jadzia replied, nodding her head. She couldn't help but notice Obi-Wan's smile as she referred to him as _master_, as she'd heard Anakin do earlier. "In fact," she continued, taking a deep, thoughtful breath, "Commanders Data and LaForge have been working on several theories along those lines in our engineering lab."

Obi-Wan started to speak, but he stopped as he suddenly heard a strange chirp emanate from the small golden insignia on the chest of the Captain's tunic. "Excuse me for a moment, won't you?" Captain Picard said politely. He reached up, tapping his communicator. "Picard here," he said, glancing up thoughtfully and watching as the wormhole flashed, and then collapsed in on itself, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

"_Captain, this is Sisko_," he heard the station's commanding officer reply. "_We have a rather urgent issue we need to discuss. Could you join me in the command center?"_

"On my way," Picard replied; he reached up, tapping his communicator once more, and then turned back to Obi-Wan and Anakin.

"You know, Anakin, I was thinking of something you said earlier. You're quite right," he said, shifting his thoughts to what Anakin had told him of the invasion of Naboo long ago. "The similarities between your own home world and Bajor are quite fascinating."

"Actually, I'm something a history buff myself," Picard said, making little effort to hide his eagerness to learn more about their new guests. "I'd love to hear more about your own home world. You're all emissaries, it seems, and while our first concern is of course to get you all home, we can't deny that this is a rare, remarkable opportunity," he said, an eager smile on his lips.

"Perhaps you, Master Kenobi," he said, following Dax's lead, "and your family would like to join my officers and myself for dinner this evening, aboard my ship?"

"Your ship?" Anakin asked, gesturing toward the massive cruiser docked above. "Is it the big one outside, the one moored above ours?"

"Yes," Captain Picard replied, nodding his head firmly. "At least it was a few moments ago, when I left it."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a fairly excited glance. "I'd love to. To be honest, Captain," Anakin said, his smile revealing his own excitement at the prospect of touring the strange, impressive vessel, "I was hoping we'd get a chance to see it."

"Excellent," Picard replied, nodding politely to them both. "I'll have one of my officers escort you aboard the _Enterprise _this evening."

"That sounds quite pleasant, Captain," Obi-Wan said, nodding politely as he folded his hands in front of his cloak. "We'll look forward to it."

"Lieutenant," Captain Picard said, turning his attention back to Dax as she stood quietly beside him, "I'll leave them in your capable hands. Contact Counselor Troi and have her make the arrangements. Until later then, gentlemen," he said, and, turning on his heels, the captain strode quickly down the corridor.

"The engineering lab is just down the hall, this way," Jadzia said, pointing down the corridor past the windows. "If you'll follow me, gentlemen?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan followed along behind Dax, both of them still quietly surveying their strange new surroundings as they made there way to the engineering lab, where – hopefully – some answers awaited them.

* * *

"There," Doctor Crusher said with a smile; she switched off her medical scanner, watching as the dark haired teen raised her fingers to her forehead. "How's that feel?"

Padmé watched, with a great sense of relief, as Leia examined her freshly healed forehead gingerly. "Much better," Leia said, nodding her head as Beverly smiled back at her. "How's it look, Mom?" she asked, turning her attention to her mother as she sat in the chair next to the couch.

"Good as new," Padmé replied, leaning closer to her daughter as Leia brushed her dark hair back from her eyes so that she could see better. "Don't worry; you're still as pretty as ever. It's not even going to leave a scar."

"Thank you so much, Doctor," Padmé sighed with a thankful smile, turning her attention back to the _Enterprise's _chief medical officer once more. "You don't know how much we appreciate this."

Beverly returned Padmé's warm smile as she reached into her medical kit, retrieving another small, silver vial. "You're very welcome, Padmé," she said with a nod, picking up her small, cylindrical medical scanner again. "Now how about you?" she said, turning her attention to the young girl who sat huddled next to Leia, watching quietly. "Would you like me to take care of those scrapes on your leg?"

Deanna walked over slowly to join them; she and Padmé exchanged a grin as Lana nodded her head, a little reluctantly, and then squeezed Leia's arm tighter as Beverly switched on her tricorder once again and began to scan her injured leg.

"We really don't know how to thank you all for your kindness," Padmé sighed, standing up from her chair and walking slowly across the room toward the windows. She reached up and brushed her hair back over her shoulder as she reached them, glancing across the room to the corner where Shanda and Luke sat at a small table, talking quietly to one another as they ate.

Deanna stopped beside her, folding her arms across her chest as Padmé turned her troubled face back to her. She was smiling, but it only took Deanna a second or two to sense the feelings that hid behind Padmé's pleasant smile. She listened, as much with her empathic abilities as her ears, as Padmé folded her own arms in front of her and gazed out at their tiny ship, moored far below.

After Padmé remained silent for a long moment, she finally felt it was time for her to take the first step. "You're worried," Deanna said quietly. She smiled, softly, as Padmé's brown eyes found hers again. "Aren't you?"

The accuracy of Deanna Troi's assessment caught Padmé a bit off guard. She thought she'd been hiding it well enough, buried her feelings deep enough to prevent revealing just how confused and lost she felt at this moment. She was used to having the upper hand in most situations, and it unnerved her a bit as she realized that, no matter how much she disliked it, she, and her family, were more or less at the mercy of those who now played host to them. Apparently, she thought, her poker face needed a bit more work.

"You're very perceptive, Counselor," she said, nodding her head as she stretched out with her feelings, tuning herself to the dark haired woman's emotions. Anakin was right, she thought, as she allowed herself to touch the living Force deeply, for the first time since their arrival. Something did feel different, even within the living Force itself, yet it only took her a second or two to find Deanna's life force.

Deanna stood there, very quietly, for a long moment. She was beginning to understand what Jadzia had said earlier, when they'd first come on board the station. _They have a very powerful presence, _she had said, as they'd sat around that conference table a little while earlier discussing their strange new guests. She couldn't explain how or why, but she felt something, something different, something both unnerving and calming at the same time, as she looked into this lovely young woman's brown eyes.

"I am ship's counselor, after all," Deanna replied with a smile, shrugging her shoulders.

"I see," Padmé laughed, very softly, nodding as she turned her eyes down for a moment. She took a deep breath, and then looked back up at Deanna, studying her closely. She trusted her instincts, much more so now than she had when she was queen, then senator, so long ago. She liked this girl very much, and, though she still had no idea as to who she really was, she was sure of one thing.

She trusted her.

Padmé was quiet for a moment; she looked back out at the stars again and, with a long, deep sigh, she nodded her head gently. "Yes," she said, very softly. "I am worried. Very much so."

"I understand," Deanna replied, nodding her head slowly. "It must be very disconcerting, to suddenly find yourself and your family so far from your home."

Padmé laughed under her breath. "That's an understatement," she snorted, toying with the sleeve of her dark brown tunic absentmindedly as she looked out at the stars, far, far past them. "Do you know where it is?" she asked, looking back at her new friend once again. "Our home galaxy, I mean?"

Padmé's eyes followed Deanna's finger as she gestured toward a small cluster of stars up and to the right of _DS-9's _tallest spire. "If Commander Data is right, and he usually is," Deanna said, leaning a bit closer to her, "then it's there, near that little cluster of stars."

"Hmmm," Padmé mused, nodding her head slowly as she gazed up at the tiny cluster of twinkling lights in the ebony darkness. "It's funny," she said finally, turning her troubled eyes to Deanna once again. "We were on our way home to Naboo, our home planet, when all of this happened," she said, glancing back up at the window again. "It looks almost the same from Tatooine," she added quietly, her heart aching as she allowed herself, finally, to think of her mother and father.

"It should be right there, just a few hours from here," Padmé said softly, her eyes glistening in the soft light. "But it isn't," she said, shaking her head slowly, her long curls tossing gently around her shoulders as she looked back to Deanna again. "Is it?"

Deanna's heart went out to her as she saw the pain in her eyes. "Try not to worry too much, Padmé," Deanna said, placing a gentle hand on Padmé's shoulder. "I'm sure that Geordi, Dax, and Data will figure something out. We'll get you home," she said, smiling as reassuringly as she could. "And you'll see your family again," she added, somehow sensing where Padmé's thoughts were centered. "I promise."

Padmé could sense Deanna's heartfelt sympathy, and she appreciated it, deeply. She gazed out at the stars for another moment or two, silent and still, before she finally spoke again. "It's not just that," she said finally, dropping her gaze as she continued to toy with the hem of her sleeve. "It's just…"

Deanna watched her, listening intently, with both heart and feelings. "What is it?" she asked quietly, squeezing Padmé's shoulder again, very gently.

"Deanna," Padmé said, finally turning her eyes up to her again. "May I call you Deanna?"

"Of course, Padmé," Deanna replied, with a nod and a soft smile. "I'd prefer it if you did."

"Can I ask you something?" Padmé asked softly.

Deanna nodded, watching as Padmé's brown eyes flickered from Lana and Leia, to the corner where Luke and Shanda sat, and then back to her again. "I overheard Captain, Sisko, I believe it was, whispering something to - what's her name, Jadzia – when we were first brought onto the station," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she folded her arms across her chest and stepped closer to Deanna. "Who are these Borg that they're talking about?"

Now it was Deanna's turn to be taken back, and she could see from the look in Padmé's bright, knowing eyes that she'd done a poor job of hiding her shock and surprise.

"They're a little difficult to explain, Padmé," Deanna replied, her mind racing quickly to come up with a way to deal with this delicate situation. "Perhaps now isn't the best time for us to go into…"

"Please, Deanna," Padmé said, softly but firmly, cutting the _Enterprise's _counselor off cleanly and a bit abruptly. Her keenly honed diplomatic skills were now in high gear, and she instantly recognized an attempt to shift the issue, as it were, yet now - especially now - she would have no part of it. She wanted answers, she needed them – and she wanted them now.

"I heard them say that they think this probe might be something they designed," she continued, her eyes reading the dark-haired counselor's face like a book as Deanna sighed, obviously uncomfortable with this shift in their conversation. "I overheard the captain mention them, and I, well, I sensed a great deal of fear when he and his security officers mentioned them as they brought us on board."

Deanna had suspected that Padmé was empathic, and it was obvious to her now that that suspicion had been correct. She looked at her quietly, drawing another long, troubled breath, as Padmé continued – and she tried to figure out just how much of the truth she needed to reveal to her.

"I need to know, Deanna," Padmé countered, her eyes and soft, yet firm, voice prodding Troi for the truth again. "We need to know. We ran across that thing in our own galaxy. If what your Starfleet believes is true, and it does belong to them, then it's possible they might be there, in our own galaxy, too."

"Padmé," Deanna sighed, shaking her head. "Perhaps Captain Picard should be the one to answer your question. I'm not really supposed to…" she paused, cutting herself off as she tried her best to placate her new friend. She wanted to answer her question, to share the truth with her, yet she knew that the Captain might not share her optimism and willingness to be so open with someone she'd just met, only a few moments before.

But she _wanted_ to answer her; for reasons that she still didn't understand, something told her, deep down inside her very heart of hearts, that she had nothing to fear from this lovely young woman, or those that were with her. As Padmé's eyes searched hers quietly, she couldn't help but feel that, if she held back the truth from her, she'd be betraying her, and herself, somehow. And, though she had no earthly understanding of why she felt so strongly about it, that was something that she honestly couldn't bear to do.

"It'll probably be a while before Anakin and the others finish in Engineering," Deanna sighed, nodding her head slowly. "Why don't you and I take a walk down to the Promenade while the children finish eating," she said, gesturing toward the doorway. "I think we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Obi-Wan sat down - a little jerkily - in the chair next to the large, oval window that opened to the blackness of space beyond. He turned his head very slowly, the look of shock and disbelief clearly evident on his bearded face as he looked out at the stars that twinkled in the coal-black expanse.

They looked the same, for the most part, and anyone who'd simply seen them would never have known that they belonged to a galaxy that lay so far, so very far indeed, from the one they called home. He sat there in stunned silence, staring out at those tiny, twinkling points of light for a long time, and then finally shifted his troubled gaze back to Anakin.

He was still standing there, one hand pressed against the thick pane of transparent aluminum, staring out at those same cold stars. He said nothing, but Obi-Wan could sense, quite clearly, the turmoil that roiled in his young friend's heart and spirit as they both gazed out at those stars, distant glimmers from countless suns they'd never even seen, nor even dreamed of seeing, other than a tiny, blurry pinwheel on a holographic star map.

Until now.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to tell me all that once more," Obi-Wan sighed, turning his attention slowly back to the dark haired, bearded officer that sat down quietly across from him. "We're... _how _far from home?"

Obi-Wan shifted his eyes to the curious, pale-skinned android as he and Geordi LaForge came and stood a short distance from them. "Two million, three hundred sixty three thousand five hundred light years, sir," Commander Data replied, his yellow android eyes surveying Obi-Wan carefully as he looked up at him. "Give or take several hundred, if our best estimates are correct."

"Doesn't really matter much if they are, does it?" Anakin sighed, quite deeply; he could feel their eyes as they all looked at him, sense that they were listening to him as he continued to stare out at the vast expanse of space, dragging his fingertips slowly across the window.

"Two million, three million," he said, shrugging his shoulders as he finally turned slowly to face them. "Doesn't really change the fact that we're never going home."

"Now, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head slowly as his padawan turned two deeply sorrowful eyes toward him. "You don't know that."

Obi-Wan turned his eyes down to the smooth silver floor at his boots; it was a good effort, yet, even as he tried to raise Anakin's spirits, he couldn't ignore the dark despair that gnawed at his own gut. _Three million light years, _he thought, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly as he laced his fingers together thoughtfully in front of him. He shook his head - it was a staggering distance, one that was hard, even for one as well traveled as him, to get his head around.

Feelings were something that Will Riker was usually quite good at controlling. Years of service in Starfleet had taught him to detach himself from his emotions, to act only on instinct and good, solid, logical decisions. Yet, he couldn't help but feel sorry for their new acquaintances; they seemed lost, as lost as two children separated from their family in a strange place.

"We won't offer you any false hopes," Will said, his voice drawing Anakin's and Obi-Wan's gaze. "You're a long, long way from home, and, quite frankly, we've never encountered a situation like this before."

"But we've got the best minds in Starfleet working on that probe as we speak," he said, glancing up at Data and Geordi for a moment. "If there's any chance that we can figure out what happened, and how to get you home," he said with a nod, "We will."

"Thank you, Commander," Anakin replied, managing a smile, albeit a weak one. "And if there's any way at all we can pitch in and help, we'll be glad to do so," he said. "I know we're a little out of place here, and, quite frankly, all of this is amazing, and a little overwhelming," he said, glancing around at the strange array of smooth, brightly lit displays that lines the walls of the station's engineering lab. "But we might be able to lend a hand, someway."

"That could be helpful, as soon as we figure out where to start," Geordi interjected with a nod of his head. "The biggest problem we've got right now, though, is that we just don't know that much about the probe that brought you here," he sighed, folding his arms across the chest of his gold and black tunic. "Its primary power cell uses a type of energy that we've never encountered before. Worst part of that is," he said, turning his visor-covered eyes toward Anakin, "it seems to have expended most of its fuel cell when it brought you here."

"What you're saying is, it's not working anymore," Anakin sighed, sweeping his cloak back and tucking his hands into his pockets. He sighed again, much more deeply, as he watched Geordi nod his head.

"In a nutshell, yeah. We haven't been able to get a _peep_ out of it," Geordi replied, his tone almost apologetic. "Dax and the rest of the station's engineers have been working on it ever since you arrived, but so far," he said, looking over at Data as he shook his head slowly, "No luck."

Obi-Wan wadded up the small, empty cup in his hands and tossed it, frustrated, onto the floor near his boots. "So we're essentially stuck here," he groaned, frowning deeply as he leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him again.

"At least for the moment, sir," Data replied, his yellow android eyes surveying the bearded gentleman quietly. "Our biggest concern at the moment is solving the probe's power issues. There is little we can do until then."

Anakin looked down at Obi-Wan; he couldn't help but be amused as he saw the deep scowl on his old master's thoughtful face. "Now, now, Master," he said, the corner of his mouth turning up into the hint of a smile as he felt his spirits lift, if only a little, for the first time since he'd come to onboard the _Avenger _after their wild and rocky journey. "You're focusing on the negative," he said, a tone of rebuke in his voice. "Be mindful of your thoughts."

"Very funny," Obi-Wan said, a sarcastic glance finding the first sincere smile he'd seen on Anakin's face since their arrival in Engineering as he looked up through the disheveled hair that hung over his eyes.

Anakin stood there, his hands tucked in his pockets, his brow deeply thoughtful. "Maybe they c_ould_ use a little help," he said quietly, turning a quick glance back to his old master as he looked up at him.

Obi-Wan straightened up in his chair. "Artoo?" he asked, his own eyebrow raising as he sensed what Anakin was thinking.

"Why not?" Anakin asked, shrugging his shoulders. "He is an astrodroid, after all. Power's his specialty, too. Maybe he can give them a hand."

"Excuse me," Will Riker asked with a frown, a bit confused as Anakin looked back at him. "Artoo?" he asked, puzzled, as Anakin smiled and pulled a small, cylindrical device from his pocket.

"Our astromech droid," Anakin said with a nod. "He does a lot of things for us, but his primary function used to be astromechanical repair. He used to work on ships," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "And engines."

"Sir," Data asked, a curious frown on his own pale-skinned face, "Am I to understand you're referring to one of the robots currently in your quarters?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied with a nod, standing up from his chair and stretching his back a bit. "The little blue one," he added, a sly smirk turning up the corner of his mouth as he spoke. "The short, fat one with the god complex and attitude problem."

"He's not that bad," Anakin sighed, switching on the small comlink as he raised it to his lips. "Artoo," he said, pressing the actuator switch on the side.

Anakin grimaced, as did Riker, Obi-Wan, and the others, as a strange, high-pitched squeal suddenly filled the room around them. He flicked the switch quickly, shutting off the little device, and he eyed it with an air of curious disgust as he rolled it over in his palm.

"Now what the hell is wrong with this thing?" he groused, slapping it against his palm several times. "It's just a comlink, it should be working," he said, switching on the device once again for good measure.

He switched it off again quickly, disgusted, as the strange squeal rang through the room again. "Something must be interfering with it," he sighed, shaking his head. "I'll just have to go up and get him, that's all, till I can figure out what's wrong with this thing."

"That won't be necessary," Riker said, reaching over and catching Anakin by the arm as he turned toward the doorway through with they'd come a little while earlier. "Deanna should still be with them," he said, reaching up and tapping the small insignia on the chest of his tunic. "What did you say his name was again?"

"Artoo," Anakin replied with a nod, slowly tucking the little comlink back into his pocket again as Will reached up and tapped his communicator.

* * *

Deanna and Padmé had just reached the door to their guest quarters when they heard the counselor's communicator chirp. They paused, just inside the door as it opened with a smooth hiss, and Padmé listened along with her as they heard Will's voice. "_Counselor?"_ he said, in his usual proper fashion. "_This is Commander Riker."_

"Go ahead, Will," Deanna answered, engaging her communicator with a quick glance of her fingertips.

"_Mister Skywalker has requested that we bring one of his robots down to assist Commander Data with the probe's analysis," _he said, instantly causing Padmé and Deanna to exchange a curious smile. "_Is… Artoo… still up there with you?"_

"Yes, he is," Deanna replied, unable to resist the urge to smile as she saw Artoo suddenly perk up from his place in the corner, swinging his sensors toward them.

"_Bring him down to Engineering immediately," _Will answered, a hint of amusement evident in his own voice. "_Our guests seem to think he might be able to lend a hand."_

Beverly Crusher had just slipped her medical scanner back into her bag, having just finished tending to Lana's scrapes and bruises. "Will," she said, standing up and watching with a grin as Lana and Leia bounded over to the table to join Shanda and their brother. "I've just finished up here. I can escort him down on my way back to the ship."

"You two need to talk," Beverly said with a smile, nodding her head as she walked over to join Padmé and Deanna near the door. She might have been busy tending to the girl's needs, but – as usual – she'd picked up on enough of the conversation to know what it was Deanna intended. "I can handle this," she said, watching with a curious, somewhat apprehensive grin as the strange little droid rolled up to join them. "If he doesn't mind following me down there, that is?"

"Artoo," Padmé said, patting him lightly on the top of his dome as he swung it quickly toward her. "You go with the doctor, and don't give her any trouble," she said, nodding her head firmly. "Understand?"

Beverly and Deanna both exchanged a bewildered smile as the little droid spouted off a long string of what sounded to them like nothing more than electronic gibberish. "Can you really understand what he's saying?" the doctor asked, shaking her head as Padmé smiled back up at her.

"Oh, yes," Padmé replied with a nod of her head. "He says he'll be happy to follow you, and he won't give you any problems," she said, turning her smile down to her little droid once more as he whipped himself around in a quick, tight circle, and then rolled right up behind Doctor Crusher's boots.

"Thank you for everything you've done, Doctor," Padmé added, reaching down and taking Beverly's hand in her own and squeezing it tightly. "I don't know how to repay you. I hope we'll see you again?"

"I'm sure you will," she replied, hoisting her bag up onto her shoulder. "And you're all very welcome. Deanna knows how to reach me if you need anything else," she said, returning Padmé's thankful smile. "Just call if you do."

Beverly let Padmé's hand slip free and stepped out into the hall, unable to resist the urge to pause and look behind her every few steps, openly amused at the little round, happily babbling robot that rolled slowly along behind her. Seeing that he appeared to be following her, Deanna reached up and tapped her communicator once more. "Beverly's bringing him down now, Will," she said, unable to completely conceal her amusement as she did so. "They should be there in just a few minutes."

"_Good enough. We'll call if we need anything else. Riker out," _Will replied, as Padmé turned her attention back to Shanda and the children again.

"Shanda," she said, leaning against the door frame as her red-haired niece hoisted Lana up into her lap. "Deanna and I are going to take a little walk. Will you be alright here with the kids for a little while?"

"Of course, Aunt Padmé," Shanda replied with a nod and a grin. "We'll be just fine. Take your time, and we'll see you when you get back."

Padmé smiled as she watched Shanda and her children begin to chatter contentedly among themselves, and then followed Deanna out into the hallway.

_Our story continues in Chapter 4!_


	4. Strange New Worlds, Part 2

_**Strange New Worlds, Part II**_

_Stardate 2943.4_

Deanna stopped, just outside the smoothly curved archway at the end of the Promenade's main deck. "This place might be a little noisy," she said with a grin, watching as Padmé stepped up beside her and peered curiously into the noisy little establishment. "But we should be able to find a nice quiet table somewhere."

The _Enterprise's _counselor couldn't help but smile as her new friend took a long, cautious look inside. "It… it looks like a bar," Padmé said, an amused smile on her face as she watched several rather large, dark-skinned individuals exchange several punches across a table in the corner, growling at each other menacingly.

"It is, and it looks worse than it actually is," Deanna replied, taking Padmé gently by the arm and leading her into the boisterous little establishment. "But trust me - they make a _great _chocolate sundae."

"A what?" Padmé asked, pausing as Deanna suddenly stopped, turning an incredulous, disbelieving expression back to her.

"It just occurred to me," Deanna said, her smile returning as she shook her head slowly. "You've never _had _chocolate, have you?"

"I don't guess so," Padmé replied, shaking her head, a meek, somewhat confused expression on her face. "What's chocolate?"

Deanna took her hand, giving her a serious tug as she pulled her along behind her. "Let's find a table," she said, grinning back at her new friend again, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Have I got a surprise for you."

The two copper-skinned individuals Padmé had been watching earlier suddenly erupted into loud laughter. Instinctively drawn by their sudden, boisterous outburst, her brown eyes quickly shifted back to the two menacing individuals once more, and she eyed them carefully as she followed Counselor Troi past the crowd at the main bar and toward several empty tables near the far corner. Though the Force still felt strange and different here, she had no trouble sensing their aggressive nature - they seemed almost primitive, warlike in appearance, and in their choice of weaponry. Her years of training at Anakin's side had made her a quick study, and it only took a second for her sharp eyes to catch sight of the long-handled knives that were sheathed on the bandoliers at their chests and belts. They were a mix of primal, instinctive emotions, much like another race that she was far, far too familiar with.

Sand People.

It was instinct that drew her hand to her waist, quickly checking the weapon that she'd secured there beneath the loose, sleeveless vest that she wore just before their arrival. Reassured by the cool, familiar hilt of her lightsaber – and faith that Deanna wouldn't be bringing her into an openly dangerous situation on purpose – Padmé felt herself relax as they finally made their way past the boisterous crowds and took a seat at a small table in the back corner.

"This is…" Padmé paused, folding her hands on the smooth, brightly light table in front of her as she glanced around the room, nodding her head slowly as she settled into her chair. "An interesting place," she added with a smile, reaching up and brushing her hair from her eyes as Deanna took a seat across from her.

"Yes, it is," Deanna nodded, as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table across from Padmé. "It's called Quark's," she said, offering her new friend a reassuring smile. "I know it may look a little dangerous, but it's really quite a safe place."

"And speaking of Quark," Deanna said, leaning back in her chair as she caught sight of the ornately dressed, broadly smiling Ferrengi that quickly made his way toward them, "Here comes the owner now."

Padmé sat up a bit straighter, folding her hands in her lap as she sized up the somewhat stocky fellow rather quickly. His head was large – or was it his head? She really couldn't tell, and she couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. She'd never seen ears like that before – even on a gondark.

"Counselor Troi!" Quark piped, quite charmingly as he fairly well floated up to the table between the two girls. "What a pleasant surprise! I heard that the _Enterprise_ was in the sector a little earlier, and I was hoping I'd get to see your lovely face before you left," he said, his wide smile revealing his rather large assortment of teeth.

"Hello, Quark," Deanna replied, quite pleasantly. "It looks like business is good," she said, glancing around the crowded little bar as Quark nodded his head and rubbed his hands together greedily.

"Better than it's been in a long time," Quark replied with a clap of his hands. "If I can just keep Odo out of my business," he said, resting his large hands on the table as he leaned close to her, "I'll have enough latinum to buy out the Grand Naggus soon," he chuckled, finally turning his attention to Padmé.

"And who have we here?" he asked, smiling – as charmingly as one with his ears and assortment of teeth could – as he stood up straight and folded his hands in front of his dark gray frock.

"Quark, allow me to introduce Padmé Skywalker," Deanna said, watching as the bar's unusual proprietor took her hand in his and shook it gently. "She's…" Deanna paused, her eyes finding Padmé's as she determined how best to proceed.

"Absolutely stunning," Quark interjected, gazing at the lovely young woman in front of him quietly for a long moment.

It was all Padmé could do to keep from laughing – and to keep herself from staring at those enormous ears. "I was going to say, she's a visiting dignitary from another system," Deanna said finally, nodding her head as Quark's eyebrow raised curiously.

"Oh, royalty, huh?" Quark grinned, giving Padmé's hand another gentle squeeze. "Another system looking for admission into the grand and glorious Federation, I take it?"

"Uhhm, possibly," Padmé replied, her old instincts taking over as she and Deanna exchanged another glance. "We're…" she paused, shrugging her shoulders slightly as she grinned back up at him. "Visiting. It's our first time here."

"Well, it's a delightful pleasure to meet you," he said, as he let Padmé's hand slip free from his grasp. "Now what can I get for you two ladies?" he said, patting them both on the shoulder as he stood up straight and grinned broadly. "And since this seems to be a special occasion, it's on the house."

"Oh, that's very kind of you," Padmé replied, nodding her head. "But, I'm a little new here, so I'll just go with whatever the Counselor thinks is best."

"Two chocolate sundaes," Deanna said, her eyebrows bouncing as she watched Quark nod his head firmly. "And don't skimp on the chocolate."

"Two Rysaan Delights, coming up," Quark replied with a firm nod, turning on his heels. "I'll be back before you get a chance to miss me."

Deanna watched, quite amused, as Padmé's eyes followed the little Ferrengi until he disappeared into the kitchen behind the bar. "He's…" Padmé sighed, turning her smiling face back to Deanna once more, "An interesting little fellow."

"That's a polite way of putting it," Deanna chuckled, nodding her head as Padmé laughed quietly to herself and shook her head slowly. "Quark may be a little strange, but, for the most part, his heart's in the right place."

"So," Deanna sighed, leaning back in her chair as Padmé settled back into her own and made herself more comfortable. "Where should we begin?"

* * *

Jean-Luc Picard felt that same cold sensation run through his body; he leaned forward against the old tactical display station - one of the less than subtle reminders of the Cardassians that had once occupied this facility - his eyes surveying the two moving indicators on the projection table with a coldness that rivaled the one that shot through his very soul.

He still didn't know if it was anger, or fear that caused his fingers to tighten against the cool metal lip of the table as he leaned his full weight onto his arms. His jaw tightened with equal force as he allowed himself, only for a moment, to remember those harrowing images from so long ago.

He could still hear their song, still feel the vibration of the thousands of life forms that had become a part of him when he'd been fused into their hive mind for those few terrible hours, those horrible moments when he'd lost all of his individuality, every trace of the humanity that had made him into the man he'd come to be. The Borg had stripped him of everything that he was, had violated him in a way that he could barely stand to remember, and had it not been for the courageous efforts of his crew and first officer, he'd have still been there, nothing more than a mindless drone of the Collective.

And now they were on their way here, just as Starfleet had feared. Their suspicion that the probe that had brought the Skywalkers here might have ties to the Borg was suddenly more than conjecture; it was now a frightful possibility, and the two Borg cubes they were tracking on the tactical display confirmed it.

He looked up, burying those feeling deep inside himself as he addressed Kyra Nyres, the Deep Space Nine station's second in command. "How long until they reach the outer boundaries of the quadrant, Major?"

Kyra's fingers flew across the LCARS console that had been adapted to the table in front of her. "At their present rate and speed, they'll reach our outer sensor arrays in approximately six hours, Captain," she said, watching as Picard stood up, his eyes still fixed on the two flashing indicators that tracked smoothly across the table.

"That doesn't give us much time," Picard sighed, tugging at the edge of his tunic. His eyes shifted quickly to Captain Sisko, who stood directly across the table from him. "Have your crews completed their investigation of our visitor's ship yet, Captain?"

"Dax reported that the science teams have completed their primary sensor sweeps, and found nothing suspicious," he said, shaking his head smoothly. "They report quite a few items of interest that they'd like to study, in addition to the alloys that it's constructed of," he added, "but nothing that would offer any tie in with the probe that brought them here, or the Borg."

Sisko and Picard both turned their attention to the station's security chief, Odo, as he walked up quickly to Sisko's side and handed him the small display he held in his hands. "Security concurs with the science officer's assessment, Captain," Odo said calmly, turning his smoothly featured face toward Picard and standing up straight. "I've completed my security analysis and found nothing out of the ordinary."

"So you believe that our visitors are telling the truth," Picard said, nodding his head slowly as he watched Sisko scroll quickly through Odo's report.

"Truth is a difficult thing to ascertain, especially in situations such as this, Captain," Odo said, cocking his head as he regarded the Enterprise's commanding officer with keen eyes. "But, if you're seeking my personal assessment of this situation," he added, folding his hands behind his back, "I'd have to say that I can find no logical reason for them to do otherwise."

"It seems that they may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time," Sisko said, handing the tablet in his hands to Picard. The captain examined it quietly for a moment, then drew a deep breath and sighed deeply.

"The wrong time, indeed," Picard said, nodding his head. He looked over to Kyra, as did the others, as she spoke again.

"Captain," she said, her face and voice growing rather tense as she addressed her commanding officer, "We've got two Borg vessels bearing down on this facility. Respectfully recommend that we energize the station's shields and weapons and go to yellow alert."

"Captain," Picard interjected, just as Sisko started to respond to his first officer. "I believe your first officer's suggestion is a prudent one, and the safety of this station is of course paramount," he said, nodding as he and Kyra exchanged a glance. "However, rather than just preparing for an all out assault by the Borg, I have another alternative I'd like us to consider."

"I'm listening," Sisko replied, folding his arms across his chest as he and his command crew watched Picard take a deep, thoughtful breath, then lay the datapad on the tactical display as he leaned down and examined it once more.

"Let's assume for a moment that Starfleet command is right, and that this probe is a device of Borg design," Picard said, eyes narrowed as he watched the two indicators continue to flash on the tactical display in front of him. "If that is the case, then would you agree that it's logical to assume that they detected its arrival just as we did, and that they're on their way here to investigate?"

Odo and Sisko exchanged a long, thoughtful glance. "I would say that is a logical assumption, Captain," Sisko replied with a nod.

"As you know, I have a rather unique perspective on the Borg," Picard sighed, standing up straight once more as he took several steps over toward the command deck's observation window. "I believe that's exactly what's happening, and if my suspicions are correct," he said, turning his eyes and attention to the small, sleek ship moored just below the _Enterprise, _"I believe I know how we can buy ourselves some additional time to deal with this situation."

"Captain," Picard said, turning to face them once again from his place near the window. "How quickly can you have their ship, and the probe, transferred to the _Enterprise_'s hangar bay?"

Sisko and Odo both exchanged a curious glance for a moment. "An hour tops, Captain," Sisko said, turning a curious expression back to Jean-Luc again. "You're planning on using the _Enterprise _as bait, to draw the Borg away from the station, aren't you?"

"If the Borg truly are after their ship, and their technology, then we need to get it, and them, as far away from this station as possible," Picard replied, his chiseled features growing tight with determination.

"And if they are looking for that ship," Kira replied, nodding her head slowly, "then it's possible they may follow the _Enterprise_, and that would lead them away from the station."

"Which could save hundreds of innocent lives," Picard said, nodding his head in agreement as they all gathered once more around the command center's tactical station. "If there _is _to be a conflict over this situation, I rather it take place out there, in open space," he said, glancing toward the window. "Not here," he added, shaking his head as he turned to his companions once more.

"It's a big risk, Captain," Sisko sighed, shaking his head as he considered what the Captain was proposing. "You know as well as I do that you can't outrun them forever. The _Enterprise _is a good ship," he said, shaking his head, "but they'll catch you eventually, and she's no match for a Borg vessel," he said, watching as Picard nodded his head in agreement. "Much less two."

"You're right, and believe me, I don't plan to have to fight them," Picard replied, nodding his head. "Have your team transfer the Skywalker's ship to the _Enterprise _as soon as possible," he said; he reached up, tapped his communicator, and then looked back at Sisko with a smile. "I wonder, Captain," he said, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. "Would you be willing to lend me your science officer for a while?"

* * *

"Here we are, ladies," Quark said, carefully placing the two lavishly filled dishes on the table, then sliding them carefully across the table; he placed one in front of each of them, then reached into his pocket and quickly produced two long-handled, silver spoons. "Two perfectly constructed Ryssan Delights, as requested," he said, bouncing his eyebrows as he slipped a spoon into Deanna's, then did the same for Padmé.

Padmé couldn't help but smile, her eyes wide with surprise as she surveyed the decadent looking dessert in front of her. She was hungry too, though she'd had little time to think about it with all that had happened, and she had to admit that – though she'd never seen such a curious combination of ingredients before – it _did _look very inviting.

"Padmé's never had one of these before," Deanna said, unable to resist the urge to smile as she plucked her spoon from the rich mound of chilled ice cream and melted chocolate.

"You're kidding," Quark asked, turning an incredulous grin back to Padmé, watching her as she picked up her own spoon, then shook her head sheepishly. "Never?"

"Never," she replied, looking back at both of them; her smile widened, as she watched both of them stare at her as though she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. "What?" she laughed, shaking her head as they both continued to grin at her in silence.

"Well, go on, what are you waiting for?" Quark urged, gesturing toward the rich dessert in front of her. "Give it a try!"

"Yes, go on," Deanna coaxed, her own face beaming with anticipation as she nodded her head. "You first."

"Okay, me first," Padmé chuckled, eyeing them both with curious suspicion as she dove her spoon down through the thick layer of whipped cream. "But I don't see what all the fuss is about," she laughed, shaking her head slowly as she glanced down at her dessert. "It's just food, after all, right?"

"Yes, it's just food. Be sure you get some of the chocolate," Deanna interjected, pointing toward the rich, dark substance that quite nearly ran over the rim of the dish.

Padmé couldn't help but laugh, as she watched the two of them turn toward one another again. "Oh, she's going to love this," Quark replied, rubbing his hands together in eager anticipation. "The ice cream is genuine vanilla bean, good and cold, and the chocolate is warmed to perfection," he said, as he and Deanna exchanged a quick grin, and then looked back at her again.

"Do you do this for all your guests?" Padmé snickered, keenly amused as they both watched her as though they were on pins and needles.

"Only the very special ones," Quark nodded, waving his hand as he watched her scoop up a good, hearty spoonful. "Come on," he said, watching as she brought her spoon up to her nose and sniffed it, a little cautiously. "It actually tastes better when you put it in your mouth."

Smiling almost as brightly as her two companions, Padmé finally opened her mouth and, taking a deep breath, took a huge, somewhat cautious bite of the strange concoction.

She paused, frowning just a bit as the strange combination filled her mouth; it was cold, yet hot at the same time, and it only took a second or two for the sweet, decadent combination of flavors to overwhelm her senses.

Deanna couldn't help but laugh, as she watched Padmé lower her spoon down toward the table, blinking her eyes slowly as she raised her hand up to her chest. "Oh, my goodness," she said, her voice a bit muffled as she savored the amazing combination slowly.

Deanna and Quark exchanged a grin as the _Enterprise's _counselor dove her spoon into her own dish. "Good, huh?" she laughed, nodding her head as Padmé suddenly turned a brilliant smile up to her.

"It's the most… the most amazing thing I've ever tasted," Padmé sighed, shaking her head as she swallowed slowly, gazing at the brimming silver dish in front of her with an almost rapturous lust. "Oh, wow," she said, licking her lips hungrily as she turned the dish in front of her slowly. "Anakin and the kids have _got _to try this," she sighed, shaking her head, brown curls tossing around her shoulders. She looked up, watching as Quark nodded his head at her approvingly.

"Wait till you get to the walnut brownie in the bottom of the dish," he said, winking slyly at her as he patted her shoulder. "Well, I think we have another satisfied customer," he said, turning his smile and a nod back to Deanna once more. "I'll leave you ladies to enjoy your Delights and talk. Just shout if you need anything," he said, turning and starting back toward the bar again.

"Thank you," Padmé called after him, turning her attention away from her dish only long enough to watch him wave back at them.

"Anytime," Quark called, and with that, Padmé turned her full attention back to this wonderfully strange concoction once more.

"So, eat," Deanna said, watching with a grin as her new friend smiled back at her, then took another huge, ravenous bite. "They're better when the chocolate's still hot," she said and, both of them pausing only long enough to laugh across the table at one another, they both turned their full attention to the shiny, silver dishes in front of them.

* * *

Dax leaned back against the Engineering lab's bulkhead; she folded her arms across her chest, watching with more than just a bit of amusement - as were Geordi and the others – as the strange-looking little robot tinkered with the long, rectangular probe. They'd had to place it in the center of the floor so he could reach it, and she couldn't help but grin as she watched 'Artoo', as Anakin called him, examine the probe's powercell with one of the long sensors that protruded from a small door in the front of his smooth, round body.

"So what do you think, Commander?" she asked softly, turning her smile to Geordi as he took his place at the bulkhead beside her; she could tell from the smirk on his face that he was just as entertained – and interested – as she was.

"It's the damnedest thing _I've _ever seen," Geordi sighed, shaking his head as he folded his arms across his chest and watched as Anakin knelt beside the little robot as he worked, a peculiar string of soft, electronic chirps and whistles filling the room around them. "He looks like a trash can on wheels, but he's packing one of the wildest array of sensors and gadgets I've ever seen. And, if I didn't know better," Geordi said, turning his visor-covered eyes to Jadzia once more, "I'd say he was whistling while he worked."

"Singing," Anakin quipped, quite matter-of-factly turning a grin up to the _Enterprise's _chief engineer. "Well, he's _trying _to, anyway," he added, looking back down at the small display in his hands as Artoo continued to feed the output of his sensor readings to it. "Artoo's pretty handy, but he's never really had much of a singing voice."

"A singing robot," Riker mused, unable to hide his own smile as he walked up next to Commander Data, who stood quietly a short distance from Artoo and Anakin, monitoring the little astrodroid with his tricorder. "Well, Data," he said, giving his android friend's shoulder a slap as Data looked up at him. "Looks like you might finally have some competition."

Data's eyebrow cocked curiously, as he watched Riker walk past him and take a seat at the nearby console, chuckling quietly to himself as he went. The distraction only lasted a moment however, and Data quickly turned his attention back to the instrument in his hands as Geordi came and joined him.

"So what do you think, Data?" Geordi asked, watching his friend as he frowned, then shook his head, his fingers moving quickly over the tricorder's control pad. "Can you monitor anything he's doing?"

Data's eyes scanned the display, watching as it continued to scroll at an incredible rate. "It appears that…" he paused, smiling curiously as he glanced down at the little droid, watching as he swung his smooth, silver dome over toward him, his main optical sensor swiveling quite actively, "Artoo… is currently performing some type of spread-spectrum analysis of the probe's power cell. And from these readings, it appears that he is quite proficient," Data added, turning a curious expression to Geordi once more.

"Do you think he'll be able to determine anything that might help us?" Riker asked, folding his hands thoughtfully in front of him as he leaned forward in his chair.

Anakin looked up, from his place beside Artoo; he and Obi-Wan exchanged a grin as they heard Data answer him. "It appears that he already has, sir," Data replied, attempting to adjust his tricorder quickly enough to keep up with the little droid. "If the results of these preliminary scans are correct, then it appears he may have already determined the powercell's fuel composition."

"Already?" Riker asked, openly surprised. "He's only been looking at it for ten minutes," he said, standing up and walking over to join Jadzia near the window. He and Jadia both looked at the little droid, quite curiously, as he suddenly let fly with a long string of animated whistles and clicks.

"What's he saying?" Riker asked curiously, unable to miss the smile and chuckle Artoo's outburst elicited from Anakin, as he knelt there looking at the little display in his hand.

"Artoo says he's sorry, Commander," Anakin chuckled, standing up beside his faithful little friend. "He says he'd have had it done sooner," Anakin said, grinning as he tucked his hands into his pockets and looked down at Artoo as he heard that familiar electronic laugh he'd grown so accustomed to. "But he's had to slow his scan down so that Commander Data and the station's computers can monitor it."

It was Riker who laughed next, a wide grin spreading across his bearded face. "Mister Data," he said, obviously savoring the bewildered look on the Lieutenant Commander's face. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were just insulted."

"Told you," Obi-Wan said, grinning over the top of his coffee cup as he took another sip. "God complex."

Jadzia turned her attention to her communicator as she heard its familiar chirp. "Dax here," she said, a hint of laughter still in her voice as she reached up and tapped the small device.

"_Lieutenant Dax, this is Captain Picard," _the familiar voice piped back. "_Are you still with our guests in Engineering?"_

"Yes, Captain," Dax replied with a nod, her gaze and attention shifting back to the little droid as he continued to work on the probe. "Mister Skywalker's droid is assisting us with some preliminary scans of the probe's energy cell," she said. "Hopefully, we'll have some answers that might help us very shortly."

"_Excellent," _Picard replied. "_Lieutenant, are you where you and I can have a word in private for just a moment?"_

Jadzia's eyebrow raised curiously as her expression grew a bit more serious; this was highly unusual, especially for Captain Picard. "Of course, sir," she said, taking a few quick steps back toward the lab's main entrance. "I can do so now," she replied, dropping her voice as she stood near the door.

Her expression changed from curious to deeply serious as she heard what Picard said next. "_Lieutenant, we've detected several Borg ships approaching the station," _he said. "_Captain Sisko and Kyra Nyres have quietly placed the station on yellow alert, and are powering up the station's shields and weapons systems."_

"I understand, Captain," Jadzia replied, softly yet firmly. "Shall I report to Ops and prepare to…"

"_No, I have a much more urgent task for you,"_ Picard replied, cutting her off quickly and smoothly. _"You're being temporarily reassigned to the Enterprise as special emissary to our guests. You'll also be assisting Misters Data and LaForge with the probe's analysis. You'll report to Commander Data as acting science officer."_

Dax glanced back over at Anakin and Obi-Wan, listening with rapt attention as Picard quietly continued. "_It is our belief that the Borg may be after the probe, and whatever was brought through the anomaly with it. I want you, as calmly and quickly as you can, to have them moved to guest quarters aboard the Enterprise. Captain Sisko is having their ship transferred to the Enterprise's hangar bay as we speak."_

"What about the analysis on the probe, Captain?" Dax asked softly, shaking her head. "Commander Data is assisting their android with it right now."

"_Tell them that we believe the Enterprise's facilities may be best suited to complete that analysis," _Picard replied, his voice cool and calm as always. "_Tell Commander Riker to have the probe and all data gathered thus far transferred to main engineering aboard the ship."_

"But what do I tell Anakin and the others, sir?" Dax asked, glancing back at Obi-Wan and Anakin as they talked quietly beside Artoo. "They're going to be understandably curious," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she attempted to determine the best way to handle this obviously delicate situation.

"_Tell them that our dinner plans have been moved up," _Picard answered, his reply drawing a somewhat lackluster smile from the station's science officer. "_I don't want to alarm them at this point, there are still too many unknowns. We can fill them in on the details during or after dinner. Right now," _Picard said, his tone conveying the urgency of the situation quite clearly, "_it is imperative that we get them off this station and put as much distance between us and the Borg as possible. Understood?"_

"Understood clearly, sir," Dax replied, nodding her head firmly. "I'll inform Commander Riker immediately."

"_I'll see you onboard the Enterprise at seventeen hundred hours. Picard out."_

Dax glanced over at the display nearest her, and it only took a moment for her to find the current time. "Thirty minutes," she said, taking a long, thoughtful breath. "At least he gave me plenty of time," she sighed, quite sarcastically, and then she turned and started over toward the others.

* * *

"Oh," Padmé sighed, dropping her spoon into her dish and quite nearly collapsing back into her chair. "That was," she said, looking back at Deanna with a grin as she rubbed her stomach, "absolutely the most amazing thing I've ever eaten."

"What did you call it again?" Padmé asked, unable to resist the temptation to pick up her spoon and scrape the last remaining bits of chocolate from her now empty dish.

"A chocolate sundae," Deanna replied, laughing softly as she watched Padmé lick the last bits of chocolate from her spoon. "We can get you another, if you want one," she said, her eyes twinkling as she watched Padmé stick her tongue out and grimace, dropping her spoon back into her dish once more.

"No, please," Padmé half sighed, half laughed. "I'm going to be sick as it is," she chuckled, patting her stomach contentedly. "That was totally amazing, though," she said, a thankful smile on her face. "Thank you for that. It was delicious."

"You're very welcome," Deanna replied, pausing long enough to pick up her glass and take a sip of the cool, clear water. "Now," she sighed, placing her glass back on the table as she leaned forward, folding her arms in front of her. "I believe you had some questions about the Borg, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes," Padmé replied with a nod; she couldn't help but notice that it was Deanna who'd brought the subject up again. They had been enjoying themselves so much that it would have been all too easy to just push the subject aside and conveniently 'forget' it. She was already beginning to think of Deanna as a friend, and it touched her that she'd not tried to avoid the reason they'd come down to talk in the first place.

"Well, it's a rather long, difficult subject," Deanna sighed, nodding her head slowly as she lowered her voice so that only she and Padmé could hear. "But the Borg are a life form that we've been fighting for a number of years now. They're a race of cyborgs, one that functions as a collective hive," she said, her eyes instantly conveying the seriousness of this whispered conversation. "They're like locusts, Padmé. They move from planet to planet, assimilating any humanoid life forms they encounter and consuming their natural resources. When they're finished, they move on to destroy the next world, and the next."

The smile that had appeared on Padmé's face as Deanna opened herself up to her quickly faded, and she listened intently as she not only heard Deanna's description, but sensed the deep-seated fear and trepidation inside the counselor's own heart.

"They feel nothing, Padmé, no remorse, no sadness, no anger," Deanna said, shaking her head. "They can't be reasoned with, or bargained with. That's why Starfleet is so interested in the probe that brought you here," she said, nodding her head. "If that probe _is_ a Borg device, then it means that they could travel throughout the galaxy almost instantaneously, and assimilate hundreds of worlds. Our weapons have limited effect on them," she said, shaking her head again. "The Federation would be doomed, as well as countless other civilizations."

Padmé nodded her head, a little jerkily. "I'm beginning to understand their interest, then, in our arrival."

"I thought you would," Deanna replied quietly with a nod of her head. "It's not just the Borg, though, that worries them. Your ship and its technology exhibit qualities and capabilities we've never encountered. If the Borg were somehow able to get their hands on it, assimilate it into their own…"

"Durasteel," Padmé sighed, nodding her head again as she quickly put two and two together. "That's why we survived the trip through that thing in the first place," she said, her brown eyes finding Troi's again. "I'm beginning to understand your federation's interest in our ship, as well."

"Deanna," she asked, cocking her head as she leaned back in her chair and relaxed a bit; she picked up her spoon once more, turning it slowly as she chose her words carefully. "What's to stop your Federation from taking our ship from us, you know, stealing our technology for your _own _benefit?"

"We don't do that, Padmé," Deanna replied, shaking her head firmly. "The Federation is founded on peaceful coexistence. We share our technology openly with others on a similar technological level, and they do the same with us," she said, watching Padmé as she nodded her head slowly, listening to her with rapt attention. "If you wished to share yours with us, then that would be up to you, but we will _not _attempt to appropriate it by other means."

"I believe_ you_ wouldn't," Padmé replied, nodding her head once more. "But what's to stop your captain, or his superiors, from doing otherwise?"

Deanna couldn't help but smile; she leaned back in her own chair as she picked up her glass and took another sip. "You don't trust authority, do you?" she asked, grinning slyly as she watched Padmé smile, and then turn her gaze down to her spoon as she continued to toy with it.

"Let's just say that, in my experience, I've learned that military leaders and politicians have more in common than not, and I've had my share of bad experiences over the years with both," Padmé replied calmly, her eyes and voice conveying a deep, thoughtful wisdom. "I've found them to be, at best, questionable in regards to their honesty."

"I would be lying if I told you that I didn't feel the same at times," Deanna replied with a nod as the two of them exchanged another smile. "But I trust Captain Picard implicitly, Padmé. He holds the Prime Directive in the highest regard," she said, shaking her head firmly. "He would never do something like that."

"The Prime Directive?" Padmé asked, a curious expression overtaking her face.

"It's a mandate, set down long ago, when the Federation was first founded," Deanna replied, turning her glass slowly in her hand and watching as the bar's lights refracted through it for a moment. "It specifically forbids exploiting other civilizations for our own benefit, or from interfering in their affairs."

"A noble sentiment," Padmé nodded, very slowly. "Our own Republic was once governed by similar respectable guidelines," she sighed, her countenance falling just a bit as she glanced back down at the table for a moment. "Before the Empire."

"The Empire?" Deanna asked, curiously; even an untrained empath could have picked up on the stab of remorse that suddenly permeated her new friend's heart.

"Our own world isn't so different from your own, Deanna," Padmé sighed, shaking her head slowly as she looked back up at her again. "Our home planet was once a member of the Galactic Republic, an alliance of hundreds of star systems, governed by a central Senate, one that ruled with relative justice and fairness for over a thousand years."

Deanna frowned, instantly sensing the deep-seated sorrow and sadness that Padmé felt as she continued. "I was once a member of that Senate, a representative of my people," she said, turning two sad brown eyes back up to Troi once more. "Until…"

Padmé paused, her usually smiling face suddenly conveying a heavy burden as her gaze fell once more. She seemed lost in time, and Deanna reached across the table, placing her hand gently on Padmé's arm as she looked back up at her. "Go on, please," Deanna said, her eyes conveying a heartfelt desire to help her with this obviously painful subject.

"Thirteen years ago," Padmé sighed, "our Senate's Supreme Chancellor betrayed the trust the Republic had placed in him. He used a clone army to destroy the Senate, and those who protected it," she said. "Now, almost nothing of the old Republic remains," Padmé said, shaking her head sadly, " and most of the systems that were once sovereign, peaceful planets now live under the rule and threat of martial law."

"That's why these Borg you speak of frighten me, Deanna," Padmé said, leaning closer to the table as her eyes searched her new friend's for a moment. "If they _have _figured out some way to travel to our own galaxy, there would be nothing to stand in their way. There are a few of us left who are trying to fight the Empire, to restore peace and freedom, but…"

Padmé paused, shaking her head sadly once more. "We're spread thin enough as it is, just trying to hold our own against the Empire's troops," she said softly. "If we had to face something like this, too, we… we wouldn't have a chance."

Deanna had known, from the moment she'd met their new guests, that there was something different about them. That suspicion had been correct, and she knew, now, that there was much more to this peaceful little family than met the eye.

And somehow, she knew that Padmé wanted to share it with her, just as she'd wanted to share everything she could about the Borg.

"Padmé," Deanna asked, squeezing Padmé's arm once more very gently. "What is it that you want to tell me?"

Padmé opened her mouth to respond, but she stopped as she suddenly heard the counselor's communicator chirp. "Never fails," Deanna said, an apologetic smile on her face as she reached up and tapped the gold pin on her chest. "Yes?" she asked, rather testily. "Troi here."

Deanna and Padmé both exchanged a glance as they heard Jadzia's familiar voice. "_Counselor, this is Dax," _she said. "_Are you still with the Skywalkers?"_

"I'm with Padmé, yes," Troi replied, nodding her head. "We're in the lounge in the Promenade, and the children are still in their guest quarters. Why? Is something wrong?"

"_No, nothing's wrong. But we've had a change of plans. I need you and Mrs. Skywalker to meet us in their quarters as soon as possible," _she said, her comments drawing another curious glance from Deanna and Padmé. "_I'll explain when you get there."_

"We're on our way," Deanna replied, as she and Padmé both stood up from their chair. "I'm sorry, Padmé," she said, very apologetically. "I'd like for us to continue our conversation this evening, if it's alright with you?"

"I'd like that, Deanna, very much," Padmé replied, smiling warmly at her new friend as they both started toward the door; she stopped, taking Deanna gently by the arm. "And thank you," she said, softly. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"You're welcome," Deanna replied, returning Padmé's smile. "We'd better get going," she said, giving her a gentle nudge toward the door. "Let's go find out what's going on."

* * *

Dax made her way along the gently curving corridor. She paused for a moment as they reached another of the station's large viewing areas; she couldn't help but smile as she watched the two teenagers, and the young girl with them, rush up and press themselves against the railing as the others – and their two curious droids – followed along close behind.

"What have I told you two about running?" Padmé scolded, directing a stern gaze of correction toward her two rambunctious teens. "That's twice today I've had to remind you two. I sincerely hope you don't intend for me to do it again?" She stood there quietly, her hands on her hips, with Anakin at her side as Luke and Leia both looked back at her sheepishly.

"Sorry, Mother," Leia said softly, toying with the long, dark braid that hung over her right shoulder. She only called her _mother _when she was in trouble, and she knew now, instinctively, that she was pushing that limit. She and Luke had both been warned earlier, when Padmé had returned and found them running up and down the corridor outside their guest quarters – indeed, they'd quite nearly run over Lieutenant Dax when she'd come to escort them to dinner, and they'd both received a rather stern lecture about such behavior afterwards.

Leia looked at her mother quietly for a moment, a moment that, for all intensive purposes, seemed an eternity to her as Padmé's dark brown eyes glared at her from beneath the thick brown curls that hung over them. She wore a dress much like her own, simple yet elegant, a light tan in color with a dark brown collar and belt. Her long, curly hair hung loosely over her shoulders, with two braids framing the sides of her face, the wispy strands of silver that wove through them shining brightly in the corridor's light, almost as brightly as the fire in her gaze as she stood there, her hands on her hips, watching her closely.

"We didn't mean to run, Mother, it's just that…" Leia paused for a moment, and then smiled sheepishly at her mother, as did Luke, as she shrugged her shoulders. "We just got excited. We're sorry," she sighed, forgoing any further attempt at an excuse as young Lana squeezed in between her and her sandy haired brother. "We won't do it again."

"I hope not," Padmé replied, nodding her head slowly as her brown eyes continued to study them both closely, keenly aware of both of their tremors. They really _were_ sorry, she could feel that, as she stretched out to them with the Force. She had to admit - sometimes being a Jedi mother had its advantages.

It was Anakin who usually handled most of the correction, what little of it had ever been required through the years, but it was apparent that their mother commanded just as much – if not more – respect, when she felt she needed to. Obi-Wan couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself, and he and Shanda exchanged a grin as they walked slowly past Padmé to join Jadzia, who was watching with her own air of amusement. Luke and Leia were both exceptionally well-mannered, though they could be a bit noisy and excitable at times, especially in strange, new surroundings.

And they didn't get much newer – or stranger – than this.

"I'm sorry, Jadzia," Padmé sighed, shifting her gaze toward their host. "I'm afraid I have to apologize for my children's overzealous behavior," she chuckled, shaking her head slowly as she watched Luke, Leia, and Lana all begin to whisper excitedly to each other. "They tend to forget themselves sometimes, especially times like this."

"It's quite all right," Jadzia replied, waving her hand dismissively. "We have a large population of children here on the station most of the time, so I'm quite used to it. Besides," she said, returning Padmé's pleasant smile, "You should both be quite proud of all of them, they're very well-behaved, especially considering the circumstances. If I were them, I'd probably be behaving _much_ worse," she chuckled, finding three smiling faces looking back at her as she glanced over toward the children.

"Their father certainly would have been," Obi-Wan chuckled under his breath, tossing a glance to his old padawan as Shanda looked on with amusement. "Remind me to tell you about the first time I took Anakin to the Ben'dahar mining colony," he said softly, leaning a bit closer to Shanda.

"Exciting?" Shanda asked, watching with keen amusement as her uncle closed his eyes and shook his head as Padmé elbowed him and laughed quietly to herself.

"And I've still got the scars to prove it," Obi-Wan chuckled, rubbing his side just below his arm to emphasize his point. He looked up, as did the others, as their attention finally fell on the stunning, majestic view ahead of them.

Jadzia folded her hands behind her back, bouncing lightly on her toes as the corridor fell quiet again, except for the children's excited chatter. She knew she really shouldn't, but she couldn't help but enjoy the sense of pride she felt well up inside her as she watched them gaze out at the sleek, massive vessel moored just above them with a profound sense of awe and amazement.

Her eyes turned to the older girl, and she returned the earnest, excited smile that Leia turned her way. "Is that where we're going, Jadzia?" Leia asked, nodding her head hopefully as she pointed toward the enormous ship. "Is that the _Enterprise?_"

Leia's smile brightened as Dax nodded her own head firmly. "It is, Leia," she replied, glancing over and watching as Anakin, Padmé, and the others walked up to join them. "That's Captain Picard's ship."

"It sure is a neat looking one," Luke mused, glancing up at his father with a huge grin as Anakin walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Isn't it, Dad?"

"That it is, Luke," Anakin replied with a nod; he gave Luke's shoulder a squeeze, his own curious, mischievous grin mirroring his son's as Luke pressed himself as close to the handrail, and the clear pane of transparent aluminum that separated them from the cold of space, as he could.

"She's considered a galaxy class starship. There are twenty-three other ships just like her in the fleet," Jadzia said, smiling at Obi-Wan pleasantly as he walked up and stood beside her. "But the _Enterprise _is the flagship, Starfleet's - and Captain Picard's - pride and joy."

"I can see why he'd be proud of her," Obi-Wan sighed, folding his hands in front of his robes as Shanda walked over to stand beside Padmé near the observation window. "She really is magnificent," he said, shaking his head slowly as he admired the vessel's sleek lines and gracefully curving form.

"You were right, Anakin,"Obi-Wan grinned, nodding his head as Anakin looked back at him over his shoulder. "She _does _seem to be almost too fragile to fly."

"Don't let appearances fool you, Master Kenobi," Jadzia replied, her eyes meeting Obi-Wan's once again. "The _Enterprise _has taken quite a pounding, and, just like her predecessors, she's stood up to every one of them."

"Predecessors?" Anakin asked curiously, as he quietly surveyed the gleaming, silver-white hull of the huge vessel.

"She's the sixth ship in the fleet to carry the name of _Enterprise_," Dax replied, nodding her head. "It's a very old name that goes back hundreds of years, back to the days of wooden sailing ships. It's become something of a tradition, and there's quite a bit of history to it," Dax said, her gaze finding Padmé's as she turned a curious, smiling face toward her. "Perhaps you'd like to hear more about it later, after dinner."

"I would, very much," Padmé replied, nodding her head with an excitement that rivaled that of her children. "I love history, it's something of a passion of mine," she said. "It would be very interesting to learn more about you, all of you, and your Federation."

"Then you and Captain Picard will get along wonderfully," Dax said with a laugh. "Ask him to give you a tour of his quarters. He has artifacts that date back…"

Jadzia paused, glancing down at her communicator as she heard its familiar chirp. "Excuse me," she said and, as Padmé nodded and turned her attention back to the _Enterprise, _Jadzia turned hers toward her communicator. "Yes, Dax here," she said, reaching up and tapping the small device.

"_Chief O'Brien here, Lieutenant," _she heard the voice on the other end reply. "_What's your location?"_

Anakin and Padmé exchanged a glance, watching quietly from their place near the window as Jadzia answered him. "We're on C-Deck, Chief, right above you," Dax replied. "We just stopped off at one of the viewing decks to let the children get a better look at the _Enterprise," _she said, smiling at the children as they all turned and listened. We're on our way to the transporter room now."

"_Understood," _Miles replied; Dax frowned, just a bit, as he continued. "_You might want to step up the pace just a bit, though. It's almost seventeen hundred hours," _Miles said, the air of amusement quite evident in his voice, even over the communicator. "_And you know how the captain feels about anyone being late for dinner."_

Dax cocked an eyebrow curiously, shifting a quick glance between her guests. "Very well, Chief," she replied with a nod. "We should be there in less than two minutes. Dax out."

"Well," Jadzia sighed, shrugging her shoulders, "I guess the tour's over. We've better get you down to the transporter room," she said, gesturing toward the hall ahead of them as she began to lead them down the corridor. "It's never a good idea to keep the Captain waiting."

_Our story continues, as Anakin and family join the Captain and crew aboard the Enterprise. What surprises and adventure await them? We'll find out soon enough! ;)_


	5. The Journey Begins

_**The Journey Begins**_

The captain turned in his chair – as did the rest of his officers – toward the door to his briefing room as it opened with a smooth hiss. The impromptu meeting had been called only moments earlier, and his first officer was the last to arrive.

"Chief O'Brien reports that they're on their way to the transporter room now, sir," Will said, walking quickly toward his chair and turning it so that he could take his customary place beside Captain Picard. "They should be beaming aboard the _Enterprise _in the next few minutes," he said, sitting down quickly and folding his hands on the smooth, ebony table in front of him. "Lieutenant Dax will escort them to their new quarters, and stay with them until it's time for dinner."

"Good," Picard replied, nodding his head firmly as he turned his chair to face his command crew once again. "I realize that this meeting is very short notice, so I'll try to keep it brief," he said, regarding each of his commanding officers carefully. "But, it seems that our current situation may have just become much more serious."

"How so, Captain?" Geordi asked, his gold and silver visor glinting in the office's lights as he leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the edge of the table in front of him.

"It appears that Starfleet's suspicions about the Borg's involvement with this probe may have been correct," Picard said, wasting no time in getting right to the point. "Major Nyres and Captain Sisko are currently tracking two Borg vessels now en route to this sector, traveling at warp factor eight."

"At that speed," Riker interjected, his furrowed brow conveying the tension that suddenly filled the room around them, "It won't take them long to get here."

"Exactly, Number One," Picard replied with a nod. "That is why it's imperative that we get that ship, and these people, as far away from this station as possible before that happens."

"Captain," Doctor Crusher asked, "Has there been any indication that our guests might be anything other than innocent bystanders in all of this?"

"No, absolutely not," Deanna suddenly interjected, quite forcefully – and a bit out of character with her usual calm, reserved demeanor. She paused, suddenly realizing the somewhat emotional outburst she'd just let slip, and swallowed hard as she glanced around the table at the curious stares of her fellow bridge officers. "I mean, no," Deanna said, much calmer and a bit more reserved. "No indication that I've been able to detect, Captain."

Captain Picard nodded his head slowly, regarding his ship's counselor thoughtfully for another moment. "It seems that Security Chief Odo and Captain Sisko share the Counselor's opinion," he said, finally. "They believe, as I am forced to until proven otherwise, that our guests were simply…" Jean-Luc paused, shrugging his shoulders as he continued. "In the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Talk about bad luck," Geordi mused, shaking his head as he and Worf exchange a long, somewhat wary glance.

"We're hoping that luck may change," Will interjected, his voice drawing the bridge crew's attention once more. "It seems that the Skywalker's robot is a lot more capable than he looks," he said, nodding toward Commander Data, who sat quietly listening in his usual place across the table from him. "We think he may have already determined the basic composition of the fuel components used by the probe."

Taking the first officer's lead, Data finally spoke up. "If Artoo's analysis is correct, sir," Data stated, his cool use of the little droid's name drawing the faint hint of a smile from his commanding officer, "It would appear that the probe uses some type of high energy, deuterium-lithium compound to power its systems."

"Is this compound something that we can replicate, Data?" Picard asked, turning his chair to face his science officer straight on.

"No, sir," Data replied, shaking his head firmly. "At least not without further analysis. While the components are similar in composition to the dilithium crystals that power our own warp engines, the energy they expend on consumption is much, much higher. In addition, they contain traces elements of compounds that are currently unknown to us." Data shook his head, watching as the captain frowned and drummed his fingers on the table in front of him. "We will need more time, and, quite likely, more assistance from the Skywalker's astrodroid to determine if we can overcome these problems."

"Do whatever is necessary, and use any resources at our disposal to see that you accomplish that," Picard replied, watching as Geordi and Data nodded their heads firmly. "The easiest way for us to diffuse this situation is to determine how this probe works, and then figure out how to use it to get these people home," Picard said, glancing around the room at his command crew once again. "Before the Borg can get their hands on their ship, or any of the technology in it."

"In the mean time," Picard sighed, nodding his head slowly, "we will attempt to put as much distance as we can between us and the Borg before they reach this sector. Commander Riker," he said, turning toward his first officer again. "Have the crew set a course for the Mutara system as soon as our guests are safely aboard, maximum warp."

"The Mutara system, sir?" Riker asked, a puzzled smile spreading slowly across his face.

"History sometimes repeats itself, Number One," Picard replied, nodding his head slowly as he saw the knowing grin spread slowly across his first officer's face. "We may need a place to hide, and the Mutara Nebula may just suit that purpose, as it did once, long ago," he said, turning his gaze back toward his officers once more.

"Mister Worf," he said, his tall Klingon security officer perking up as he addressed him. "Report to the transporter room, and assist Lieutenant Dax in greeting our guests and seeing them to their quarters. I want them to receive full diplomatic courtesy, is that understood?"

"Clearly, sir," Worf replied, with a firm nod of his deeply ridged head.

Picard paused, a faint smile returning to his face as he paused for a moment. "I realize that this situation may be quite dangerous," he said, leaning forward and folding his hands thoughtfully in front of him, "but we also must remember that there is a historic opportunity here. These people," he said, turning his eyes up to his officers again, "whether they meant to come here or not, are visiting dignitaries from an entirely different galaxy. They are obviously quite technologically advanced, and there is a great deal that we might learn from them," he said, nodding his head slowly.

"While our first responsibility must, of course, be to get them home and diffuse this situation," he said, leaning back in his chair once more, "we should take every opportunity to learn as much about them, and from them, as possible."

"Any discussion?" Captain Picard asked, watching as his officers shook their heads in silence. "Very well," he sighed with a smile. "I'll see each of you in the formal dining hall in one hour," he said, rising to his feet as his officers did the same. "And full dignitary dress," he added, his smile widening. "Dismissed."

Deanna had very nearly made it to the door when Picard addressed her. "Counselor?" he said, catching her somewhat by surprise as she stopped just short of the doorway.

"Yes, Captain?" she asked, turning to face him again.

"Might I have a word for a moment?"

"Of course, Captain," she replied, nodding her head as she walked over to the table, taking the seat that he offered her. She watched him, swallowing hard again as he sat down in his chair once more – she already knew what it was he wanted to talk about.

"I couldn't help but notice your rather emotional response to Doctor Crusher's inquiry a few moments ago," he said, leaning back in his chair and surveying her curiously as he folded his hands in his lap. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?"

"Not really, Captain. I suppose…" she paused, taking a long deep breath and sighing deeply as she offered him a weak smile. "I just suppose I'm growing rather fond of our new guests. Especially Padmé," she said, her smile warming a bit as she took another long, deep breath. "I know this may sound a little strange, Captain, but I can't help but feel that she and I have become very good friends rather quickly."

"Friends?" Picard asked, a little surprised to hear Deanna – who was usually so calm and rational – use such a strong word. "Isn't that a little sudden, considering you just met a few hours ago?

"I know, and I can't explain it either, Captain," Deanna replied, nodding her head firmly. "But one thing I can tell you, and I'm quite certain of it," she said, shaking her head. "We have nothing to fear from these people."

Picard studied her quietly. "You sound rather convinced," he added, after a long quiet moment.

"I am, Captain," Deanna replied with a firm nod of her head. "In fact, I think they may even be able to help us."

"Help us?" Jean-Luc asked, his brow furrowing a bit. "How?"

"I don't know yet, Captain, but I know I will," Deanna replied firmly. "Padmé was about to tell me something, something very important just before Lieutenant Dax called us back to the Enterprise," she said. "I was hoping that she and I might get another chance to discuss it this evening."

"You feel this information that she was about to share with you is something that might help us deal with the Borg?" the captain asked, his curiosity obviously peaked.

"I can't say for sure, Captain," Deanna said, shaking her head, a somewhat apologetic look on her face. "But I do know that it was very important to her, and I just have a feeling that, somehow, they can help us."

Picard sat there quietly for a long moment, studying his ship's counselor. While such sudden, openly emotional attachment was highly unusual for Deanna, he had come to trust her judgment of character more than his own. "Very well, Counselor," he said finally, nodding his head as he stood up, with Deanna following his lead. "Spend as much time with her as you feel is necessary without intruding on their privacy," he said, watching as Deanna nodded her head firmly. "If you learn anything of value that you think might be of significant help, report it to me immediately."

"Yes, Captain," Deana replied, a somewhat relieved sigh on her breath as she nodded her head firmly again.

"Very well," the captain said, offering her his usual customary smile. "I won't keep you any longer, then, and I'll see you at dinner. Dismissed."

He watched her quietly as she turned and made her way out of the briefing room and then, pausing another moment as he took a long, somewhat thoughtful breath, he turned and followed her through the doorway and down the hall toward the turbolift.

* * *

The _Enterprise's _first officer had just barely stepped off of the turbolift and onto the bridge when he heard his communicator chirp. He paused, just behind Ensign Ro's navigation console, as he gave it a quick tap and answered it. "Riker here," he said, glancing thoughtfully at the massive viewscreen in front of him, watching the two small tugs that towed the Skywalker's ship toward the aft end of the great ship, their silver-blue tractor beams shimmering against the blackness of space behind them.

"_Commander, this is Lieutenant Worf," _he heard his Klingon friend call.

"Yes, Lieutenant," Riker replied. "I trust our guests have been secured on board?" he asked, glancing down at Ro as she turned in her long, reclining chair and looked up at him.

Riker frowned slightly as he heard his friend's reply. "_Not yet, sir," _Worf replied, an obvious hint of frustration in his deep voice. "_Apparently, one of our guests is a bit reluctant to enter the transporter."_

Will couldn't help but grin as he caught sight of the wide, amused one that now covered Ensign Ro's face. "Oh, really?" he replied, nodding his head. "I'll be right there. Tell O'Brien to prepare to beam me to the station's transporter room. Riker out."

"They're refusing to enter the transporter?" Ro asked, eyebrows cocked curiously. "What kind of person refuses to use a transporter?"

Will patted her shoulder, smiling slyly back at her. "A person who's never seen one before," he said, gesturing toward the console in front of her. "Ensign, set a course for the Mutara system, maximum warp," he said, turning and striding quickly toward the turbolift again. "Prepare to leave the station as soon as their ship is secured in our hangar bay. This won't take long," he said, turning to face her once more as he stepped into the lift. "Let me know when you're ready."

"Aye, sir," Ro answered, nodding her head as the lift closed once more. "Well," she sighed, still obviously amused as she began to lay in the course the first officer had given her. "This should be interesting."

* * *

Leia couldn't help it; no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't keep herself from laughing, as she stood there, huddled with her brother, sister, and Shanda near the door to the transporter room, watching the interesting little display at the control station across from them.

Shanda looked back at her – doing her best to maintain her own composure – as, after exchanging a huge grin, Leia cupped her hand over her mouth and began to laugh, almost hysterically.

"Leia, stop!" Shanda whispered between clenched teeth as she watched her teenage cousin squeeze her eyes shut and try to stifle her laughter as best she could. "What's so funny, anyway?"

"Ben," Leia whispered, hugging her little sister with her free arm as she, too, began to laugh along with her brother as they watched – and listened – to the conversation that continued to unfold at the console where O'Brien, Jadzia, Ben, and her mother and father stood. "He's a big ol' slandark!"

"He is _not _afraid!" Shanda laughed, her voice barely above a whisper as the four of them continued to giggle and laugh – as softly as they could. "He's… he's just never seen anything like this before," she offered, doing her best to defend her master.

"Look, I don't mean to be a problem," Obi-Wan sighed, resting his elbows on the edge of O'Brien's control console as he leaned against it. "I'd just like to know a little more about how this contraption works before I step into it, that's all!"

"I promise, Mister Kenobi, it's extremely safe," Jadzia said, offering him a reassuring smile. "We've been using them for over a century, and we've rarely ever had a problem. They're as safe as…"

"Rarely?" Obi-Wan asked, raising his finger and nodding his head slowly. "Ah, then you admit, you _do _have problems from time to time."

"Please, Ben," Padmé sighed, hardly believing she'd remembered to address him by the name her children knew as she and Anakin exchanged another weary grin. "Will you just get in the thing so we can get on board?" she asked, gesturing toward the elevated array of circular pads behind them. "They're waiting on us, remember?"

She closed her eyes and sighed again, dropping her face into her hand as Obi-Wan raised his own abruptly. "Just a minute," he said, quite calmly - realizing full well that both she and Anakin had to be aware of the unusual nervousness he was experiencing at this moment. "I'd just like a little more information, that's all."

"It's really very simple, sir," O'Brien said, gesturing toward the rather simplistic looking array of controls in front of him. "We learned, over a century ago, that matter and energy are interchangeable," he said, the corner of his mouth curling up into the hint of a smile as Obi-Wan looked back at him, rather skeptically. "When you step onto the transporter pad and I engage the beam, the system simply converts your body into energy, and that energy is then transmitted to the destination system, where the exchange is reversed and your pattern is reassembled on the other end," Miles said, his smile widening as he shook his head. "That's all there is to is. There's really nothing to be afraid of."

Padmé peered out between her fingers, sighing again as she saw the blank, almost horrified look on Obi-Wan's face. "That's all there is to it," Obi-Wan snorted, half laughing as he turned and looked over his shoulder at Anakin as he walked up and placed his hand on his old master's shoulder. "Did you hear that?" he said, keenly aware of the deep sigh that escaped his old padawan's lips as he grinned back at him. "It's nothing complicated; we're just going to disassemble every molecule in your body and beam you across space to Force only knows where."

"Come on," Anakin said, smiling widely as he nodded toward the transporters. "Padmé's right. They're waiting on us, and it can't be all that bad. They say they do this all…"

"All the time, yes, I know," Obi-Wan nodded. "I know this is no big deal for you, Anakin," he said, leaning close to his old padawan and lowering his voice to a whisper as he pulled him and Padmé closer to him. "I know you've got a death wish, I've seen you leap out of a speeder on numerous occasions with no one to catch you, remember?" he said, shaking his head firmly as Padmé started to laugh. "But I'm not too big on the idea of having my body scrambled into a billion pieces, thank you very much!"

"He does _not _have a death wish!" Padmé laughed, as quietly as she could. "And you're just being a spoiled little nervot," she chided, giving him a shove. "What happened to the Jedi Knight I remember, the one who used to chase my husband into danger without a moment's hesitation?" she whispered, eyes twinkling as Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sighed, quite deeply.

"He managed to survive your husband," Obi-Wan answered, unable to completely conceal his amusement as his two friends looked at one another and laughed again. "And I'm not sure I want this contraption to be the thing that winks me into the Force! Can't we just take a shuttle, or some type of…"

"Come on, Master," Anakin chuckled, as he and Padmé exchanged another grin. "It can't be that bad."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to respond, but – before he could – he heard the strange system engage behind him. He turned to face it as the beam on the front pad began to shimmer, and he watched, along with his companions, as the shadow that appeared in the shimmering blue white beam began to darken and gain substance quickly.

Padmé's mouth dropped open, as did Anakin's, as the beam finally faded, leaving Commander Riker standing on the pad in its place. She stared at him in amazement as he stepped down off the pad toward them, then turned around quickly as she felt her teenage son run up and grab her tightly by the arm.

"Oh, my goodness!" Threepio exclaimed, waving his arms as he finally spoke up; he and Artoo had been watching quietly from their place in the corner, near the children. "How remarkable! And he seems to be in perfectly good shape too, doesn't he Artoo?" he said, turning to regard his little counterpart as Artoo whistled rather excitedly, himself.

"Mom, did you see that!" Luke exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement as he watched his mother nod her head slowly and grin back at him. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life!"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sighed deeply, as he realized that whatever argument he'd been planning to make for finding another way onto the _Enterprise_ was now a moot point. "Can we try it, Mom?" Leia exclaimed, grabbing her brother's arm as she rushed up to join him, shaking it hard with excitement. "Please!"

Padmé nodded, but raised her hand to quiet them as Commander Riker addressed them. "I understand there was a little concern about the safety of the transporter system," Will said, smiling amicably at the little group as he and Jadzia exchanged a grin. "I thought that a quick demonstration might help allay any concerns you might be having," he said, nodding his head as he folded his hands behind his back.

"No, uhm, we're all fine, Commander," Anakin replied, smiling slyly as he and Padmé exchanged another glance. "Our friend Ben, here," he said, nodding toward Obi-Wan, "was just a little curious as to how the transporter worked."

"Well, as you can see, it's perfectly safe," Will said, gesturing toward the pads behind him. "We can take five at a time," he said, surveying the little family in front of him with a grin. "Perhaps Mister Kenobi would feel more comfortable if he saw you all go first?"

"You don't have to ask me twice!" Luke exclaimed, fairly well leaping up onto the pad nearest him. "Come on, Dad!" he called, waving for his father and mother to join him as Leia – with little Lana in tow – scrambled up onto the pad nearest her brother.

Obi-Wan sighed, watching with a smirk as Anakin and Padmé stepped up onto the remaining two pads as Shanda came over and stood beside him – he frowned at her for just a moment as he finally saw her laughing at him. "You do know," he sighed, shaking his head as Anakin, Padmé and the children all grinned back at him, "that every one of you is stark raving mad, don't you?"

"Come on, Ben, lighten up," Padmé laughed, smiling at him slyly as she reached over and took Anakin's hand tightly in her own. "Learn to live a little."

Seeing that his little demonstration had had the desired effect, Will had made his way quietly over to the control console, where he stood watching along with Jadzia and Chief O'Brien. "Is everyone ready?" he asked, looking up from the controls and making sure that each one of them was appropriately positioned.

"I think so," Anakin replied, taking a long deep breath and nodding his head as he looked around at his wife and children. "Is there anything we need to know not to do?"

"All you need to do is remain still on the transporter pad," Miles replied as he began to bring the system online. "It's perfectly fine to hold the little one's hand, sweetheart," he grinned, noticing how tightly little Lana was holding onto her older sister. "Everyone just relax," he said, smiling reassuringly at Leia as she smiled and nodded back at him. "I promise, this won't hurt a bit."

Anakin glanced over at Padmé; he squeezed her hand tightly, smiling fondly at her as he sensed how excited she was. "You ready?" he asked, laughing as he watched her take a long, deep breath and nod her head in reply.

Padmé glanced down, her heart racing, as the pad beneath her feet began to glow. "Looks like we're about to go, whether we are or not," she giggled nervously, giving his hand a tight squeeze. "See ya on the other side, Ben," she said, looking up and tossing Obi-Wan a sly wink as the sound of the transporter's systems began to fill the room around them.

It only took a second or two for the swirling silver-blue beam to envelop her; she felt herself laugh again, along with her children, as she suddenly felt as light as a feather, and Obi-Wan, Shanda, the droids – and everything else – faded into a warm, shimmering field of blue.

* * *

"So," Padmé sighed, bouncing on her toes as she turned from the mirror so that Anakin could see her. "How do I look?"

She'd spent nearly the entire time they'd been in their new quarters aboard the _Enterprise _in front of it, working diligently on her hair, and she grinned back at him excitedly as she watched him size her up from his seat on the edge of the bed.

"You're as beautiful as ever," Anakin smiled, standing up and closing the few steps between them as he watched her turn once more, her dress billowing gracefully, along with her long, flowing curls, as she did so. "Maybe even more so," he said, gazing down at her fondly as he reached down and took her hands in his.

"Thank you," she said, her cheeks flushing a rosy pink as she glanced down at her dress, smoothing a few of the wrinkles away with her hands. "I have to say, I love this dress that Deanna sent for me to wear to dinner," she said, adjusting the blue satin sash at her waist a bit. "Do you?"

"I do," Anakin nodded, approvingly. "It's very nice, and it looks absolutely stunning on you," he said, his own smile brightening a bit more as she turned her beaming face back to his.

He loved to see her like this, as giddy and happy as a schoolgirl. "You really are excited, aren't you?" he chuckled, mesmerized by the brightness of the eager smile on her face as she nodded her head in reply.

"I really am," she giggled, her brown eyes twinkling as she squeezed his hands tightly, bouncing once more on her toes. "I know it's silly, but I can help but feel…"

"Like you did when you were a Senator," Anakin grinned, finishing that thought for her. "You're getting to relive a part of your life over again, aren't you?" he asked, nodding his head as she laughed back at him.

"Is it wrong of me to feel that way?" Padmé asked, grinning up at him sheepishly as she watched him close his eyes and shake his head firmly. "I mean, after all, our first priority is getting home. Maybe I shouldn't…"

"There's not a thing in the world wrong with you being excited about this," Anakin replied, leaning closer and kissing her gently on the lips; she returned his kiss, just as tenderly, until he opened his eyes and grinned back at her. "You said it yourself, earlier. We're here, and they seem nice enough, and we might as well enjoy ourselves."

"Besides, that was a big part of your life, and you should definitely enjoy this," he said, drawing himself back so that he could see her, but still holding tightly to her outstretched hands. "And after all, you _are _a visiting dignitary, so you _should _be excited."

Padmé laughed back at him, then took a quick step forward and kissed him again, long and tenderly. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes searching his as she finally let their lips part again. "Thank you for always being so supportive and encouraging."

"You make it very, very easy," he chuckled in reply. "So," Anakin asked, glancing around the spacious bedroom of their new cabin, as she let her arms slip slowly from around his neck, "Pretty impressive for quarters on a ship, huh? How are the accommodations stacking up, compared with the ones you used to get when you were a senator?"

"Not bad at all," Padmé replied, grinning slyly at him as she took his hand and led him over near the bed. "And I can't ever remember having a bed nicer and bigger than this on a ship," she added.

"You know, I always slept in these things alone when I was a traveling as a senator," she said, bouncing her eyebrows as she drug her fingertips lightly along the smooth, snugly fitted sheets that adorned the large, spacious bed in the center of their room. "I'm looking forward to trying something new after I return from this diplomatic dinner this evening," she whispered, wrapping one arm around his neck as she pulled him close again, pressing her cheek lightly to his.

"Really?" Anakin asked, closing his eyes as he took a long, deep breath, taking in her sweet, familiar scent with as much hunger as he ever had. "And what might that be?" he asked, placing a gentle kiss on the nape of her neck as he let his hand explore the small of her back.

"I'm sure we can think of something," Padmé whispered in reply, a contented smile on her face as she leaned her head back, reveling in the soft warmth of his lips on her skin.

She giggled, then sighed deeply as she heard the doorbell to their quarters ring, followed by the voices of their two teenage children as they began to debate who was going to answer it. "Let's make sure they go to bed early tonight," she chuckled, cupping his face in her hands as she grinned up at him, then kissed him tenderly. "We are definitely picking up where we left off, do you understand me?" she growled, grinning as she watched him nod his head firmly in agreement.

"Come on," Anakin chuckled, taking her by the hand and leading her toward to door that joined their room to the large, central sitting room. "Let's go see who it is."

The dignitary quarters aboard the _U.S.S. Enterprise _were second to none, even when compared to most landlocked luxury accommodations. The large, central sitting room was spacious indeed, the smooth, modern furnishings giving the room a warm, yet spartan feel. On either end, two sets of sliding doors led to a total of four sleeping quarters, which had worked out well indeed, given that Obi-Wan and Shanda had taken up residence on one end, with Anakin, Padmé, and the children on the other.

"Well, bless me," Obi-Wan said; he watched Lana as she hopped down from his lap, then stood up from the seat he'd been relaxing in near one of the large bulkhead windows. "If I didn't know better," he said, folding his hands neatly in front of him as he watched Padmé stop, just inside the doorway, and grin back at him knowingly, "I'd say we'd just gone back in time, m'lady."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Ben," Padmé replied, placing her arm snugly around Lana's shoulders as she trotted up and hugged her tightly.

"Exactly how it was intended," Obi-Wan chuckled, watching as their youngest daughter, who'd been sitting on the couch with him a moment earlier, spoke up with her usual eagerness; she'd been quiet, unusually so, since their arrival, but the shyness she'd exhibited on the DS9 station had been replaced with her usual outgoing, bubbly young demeanor.

"You look nice, Mama," Lana said, squeezing her mother tightly as Padmé smiled down at her, smoothing her long, dark hair with her hand. "Are you going to go eat with the doctor and that other lady tonight?"

"Thank you, baby," she said, smiling down at her fondly. "And, yes, I am," she nodded.

"Ben's been telling me stories," Lana said, looking back at Obi-Wan with a wide grin as Anakin stepped past them and made his way over to where Luke and Leia stood, near the small table next to the food replicators.

"He has?" Padmé asked, kneeling down beside her so that she could see her better. "What kind of stories?"

"Jedi stories!" Lana exclaimed, her excitement drawing a laugh from her mother as Padmé and Obi-Wan exchanged another knowing glance.

"Jedi stories? How exciting!" Padmé exclaimed, scooping Lana up into her arms as she made her way over to where Shanda and Obi-Wan stood, near the large, circular couch. "We'll have to get him to tell us all one, after while, won't we?" Padmé asked, tossing Obi-Wan and Shanda a sly wink, and then turning her attention to Anakin as she heard him speak.

"You two get the door, okay?" Anakin said, as his two teens nodded their heads firmly, and then started to trot toward the door. "And remember, best manners tonight, understood?"

"Yes, Daddy," Leia replied, and, pigtails bouncing, she trotted off with her brother toward the door.

"Well," Obi-Wan sighed, quite deeply, as Anakin walked over to join them. "Are we ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be, I guess," Anakin nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "Hey, Princess," he said, tugging on his youngest daughter's ponytail playfully as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then turned his gaze to Shanda, who'd been standing quietly beside Obi-Wan.

"You look nice, Shanda," he said, nodding his head approvingly; he couldn't help but notice the flush of rosy pink that filled her cheeks along with that familiar, sheepish grin. "I don't get to see you in a dress very often."

"Thank you, Uncle Anakin," Shanda blushed; she'd always been more of a tomboy at heart, just as content in the traditional tunic, pants, and boots she'd grown accustomed to as a young padawan as anything else. But, as the years had passed, she'd grown into a lovely young woman, indeed, and she'd begun to enjoy - more than she'd ever suspected she would - these opportunities to dress a little more feminine, something that had delighted her mother, Beru, to no end.

"Daddy," Leia called, her voice drawing their gaze as she walked quickly back into the room to join them, "Jadzia's here."

"Hello, everyone," Dax piped, quite brightly, as she stepped into the room to join them, with Luke following close behind her. "I hope I'm not intruding?"

"Of course not, it's good to see you again," Anakin replied pleasantly, watching as Padmé leaned down and let Lana slip from her arms. "We were expecting you, but I think we sort of lost track of time. I hope we haven't kept anyone waiting?"

"Not at all," Jadzia replied, shaking her head. "You're right on time, in fact. I've just come up to escort you all down to the formal dining hall."

"Sounds good," Obi-Wan replied; he glanced around at his companions, an eager grin on his bearded face. "Let's be off, then," he said, placing a hand on Shanda's shoulder as he gestured toward the door. "I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm famished, and, no matter where you're from, it's impolite to keep the captain waiting."

"Luke, Leia," Anakin said, turning his attention to the twins once more, "You two keep an eye on your sister while we're gone," he said, watching as they both nodded their heads obediently. "We'll be back up in a while, so use the comlink if you need us for anything."

"Yes, Daddy," Leia replied, as Luke nodded his head along with her.

"Actually," Dax piped up, raising her hand, "I have something planned for the children to do this evening while you're at dinner, something I think they'll enjoy quite a bit," she said, watching as Anakin and Padmé exchanged a curious glance. "If that's all right with you, of course?"

Anakin shrugged his shoulders, then looked back at Luke and Leia, both of whose faces now bore an excited, eager look of anticipation. "Sounds fine to me," he said. "What do you think? Would you like to go with Jadzia instead of staying here this evening?"

"Yes, please," they both piped in unison, nodding their head eagerly.

"Okay," Padmé said, as she smiled gratefully at Dax for a moment; she was touched, very much so, that someone she'd only known for a few hours had taken her children's interest to heart. She gave Lana a nudge toward them, then turned her attention to the twins once more. "But remember, best behavior, and keep an eye on your little sister," she said, watching as Lana bounded over and took Leia's hand tightly in hers. "Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," they both replied, falling in behind Dax and their parents. "Jadzia," Luke asked, turning a curious smile toward the brown haired, slender young woman as they all made their way toward the door, "where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Dax replied, the corner of her mouth curling with the hint of again as she opened the door, stepped to the side, and then gestured for them all to follow her. "We'll escort your parents to the dining hall, and then I'll show you," she said, pleased by the look of curious anticipation she saw on the youngster's faces. "We'll need to stop by my quarters first to pick something up, but I think I can say you'll enjoy it."

* * *

"There," Dax said, her fingertips fairly well flying over the LCARS console; her eyes scanned the display, confirming the information the _Enterprise's _main computer fed back to her. "I think that looks about right," she said, nodding her head as she turned her eyes back to the trio that stood beside her. "Anything else?"

She'd left Anakin, Padmé, and the others in the care of Commander Riker and Counselor Troi a while earlier, and she and the children had spend the last ten minutes or so playing this interesting game of questions and answers. She'd been surprised, quite so, with the clarity that the children had used when describing their homeworld, and she'd drawn on Dax's vast knowledge and experience to fill in the gaps, so to speak, where the children had been a bit fuzzy.

"Trees," Leia said, smiling curiously as Dax nodded her head. "Green ones, lots of them, big ones, too."

"Computer," Jadzia said, glancing back at the display, "Increase deciduous vegetation by twenty five percent," she said, listening as the computer's bell-like tone confirmed her command. "Increase age of largest vegetation by thirty to fifty years."

"_Increasing deciduous vegetation by twenty five percent, with random age adjustment of one hundred to one hundred twenty five years," _the computer responded. "_Program complete," _it replied, after a moment's pause. "_You may enter when ready."_

Luke and Leia both exchanged a curious glance as they heard the smooth, yet powerful hum from behind the large, double doors beside them; it remained, just for a moment, and then faded, leaving nothing but the soft, steady rumble of the _Enterprise's _engines as the great ship slipped through space.

"That's it," Jadzia chimed, quite pleasantly; she leaned down, picked up the large rucksack she'd fetched from her quarters and hoisted it onto her shoulder. "Well," she said, eyebrows raising as she looked at the three curious, smiling faces that looked back at her. "Are you all ready? It should be a beautiful day."

"Sure," Luke replied, shrugging his shoulders as they stepped up to the doors. "But I don't understand, I mean, it's just a simulator, right?" he asked, taking Lana's hand tightly in his own as she stood close beside him.

"It's called a holodeck," Jadzia replied with a grin, as she reached up and pressed the button on the door's control panel. "And you're right," she said, watching the children with a growing smile as the doors slid open in front of them. "It's just a simulator."

Luke and Leia quite simply couldn't believe their eyes as they, with Lana in tow and Jadzia right behind them, stepped into this miraculous machine she'd called a _holodeck._

"Luke," Leia gasped, her mouth hanging open in shock and disbelief as she felt the warm summer breeze on her face, smelled the sweet scent of the flowers that dotted the green, gently rolling landscape. "Can you believe this? This is... is..."

Dax laughed quietly to herself; her carefully timed presentation had worked out just as she'd planned, and she watched, with no small amount of enjoyment, as Luke, Leia, and Lana all stood there, stunned, ankle deep in the thick, green grass, gazing out at the natural wonder that lay before them.

"It's... it's home," Leia whispered, her face bearing the smile and wonder of a child half her age; she snapped her head around, pigtails flying, as she reached over and grabbed her brother's shoulder tightly. "Luke, can you believe this? It's HOME!" she exclaimed, excitedly.

"It's... it's amazing," Luke said, a huge, astonished smile on his own face as Lana squealed with delight, then pointed toward the flock of large, white geese that swam lazily near the shore of the crystal blue lake. "This is incredible!"

"Lookit, lookit!" Lana exclaimed, and, tearing herself free from her brother's hand, she bounded off through the grass toward the shore, squealing with delight as she went, making a bee line for the downy young goslings that were wandering about near the shoreline.

"Lana, wait!" Leia called, remembering what her mother and father had told her. "Don't go near the water until we..."

"It's okay, don't worry," Dax reassured her, dropping the rucksack from her shoulder and offering it to her. "The holodeck fail safes are engaged, so you don't have to worry, she can't get hurt," she said, pleased once more by the happy, astonished smile on the young teen's face as she took the pack she offered her. "I took the liberty of bringing you some towels and snacks," she said, nodding toward the tree lined lake that lay ahead of them. "There's a kite or two in that bag, too, and there should be just enough wind to fly them."

"Here's a communicator pin," Jadzia said, placing one of the small, gold devices into Luke's outstretched palm as she turned her attention to him. "If you need anything, just press it and I'll answer," she said, as Luke nodded, then tucked it down into his pocket.

"Well, are you just going to stand there gawking at it, or are you going to go swimming?" Jadzia asked, placing a hand on Luke's shoulder as she pointed toward the lake. "The water should be perfect," she said, winking slyly at him as he turned his astonished smile up to her, and then back out to the wonder that lay before them.

She folded her arms across her chest, watching with a smile as, whooping and shouting with delight, the two teenagers bolted out across the grass and toward the lake. She watched them quietly for a few moments, and, then made her way back to the holodeck doors; they slid open, and she turned and watched them quietly for another moment, and then stepped out into the corridor as the doors closed quietly behind her.

* * *

"To new friends," Captain Picard said, raising the long stemmed crystal glass in his hand as he regarded his officers and guests, who sat encircling the long, oval table in the _Enterprise's_ dining hall; he turned to Padmé, who sat next to her husband on his left, as she spoke next.

"To new friends," Padmé nodded, as she raised her own; Picard couldn't help but notice the quiet grin Padmé and Deanna exchanged across the table, as everyone else raised their own, and the first quiet of the evening fell across the dining hall as they all partook of the captain's toast. The conversation, thus far, had been quite spirited and delightful, and it showed now sign of waning any time soon.

It was Obi-Wan who broke the silence next. "I must say, Captain," he said, placing his glass back on the smooth, dark wooden table, "This is a marvelous ship you have here. Anakin and I," he said, nodding toward his old padawan, who sat a few seats away, "we've both logged quite a bit of space travel ourselves, and we've seen a lot of impressive ships." He shook his head, and sighed, rather contentedly, as Anakin nodded quietly in agreement. "But I've never seen a vessel quite as elegant as this."

"I'll have to agree, Captain," Anakin added; he could tell that the captain was obviously pleased with how impressed they were with his vessel. "When Padmé and I first saw the _Enterprise_, I told her how impressed I was with her construction. We're used to ships that are functional, but, except the small ones, like ours, there's not a lot of attention paid to aesthetics." He paused, glancing around the ornate, well appointed dining hall where they now sat, watching as a white gloved waiter refilled Shanda's water glass, nodded pleasantly at her _thank you_, then went about tending to the other glasses.

"This," Anakin said, gesturing to the room around them with the glass he held carefully in his hand, "is just amazing."

"I'm quite pleased you feel that way," Picard replied, nodding his head. "I am, understandably, quite proud of her. As I mentioned a bit earlier, this ship," he continued, gesturing toward the large, gold-colored plaque that adorned the wall near the door, "is actually the fourth starship to bear the name _Enterprise._"

The captain paused for a moment, as he took a sip from his own glass, and then continued. "But, this particular ship was the first galaxy class starship to bear the name."

"Galaxy class?" Padmé asked; she was obviously quite interested to learn more about the ship they now traveled aboard, as were the others.

"The largest ships in our fleet," Picard said. "When Starfleet was first founded, even though its primary purpose was one of mutual peace and exploration, there was, quite obviously, some trepidation about moving into and exploring the galaxy," he said, Padmé nodding her head slowly as she and the others listened intently. "Our first warp capable ships were designed from a much more, shall I say, military perspective."

"There was a time when a starship carried only crew, and passengers as required," Commander Riker chimed in, taking his cue from the captain as he nodded at him. "But, as time has passed and we've continued to adapt to life in space," he said, "our ships have adapted with us."

"The_ Enterprise_ carries much more than her crew now," Deanna added, seizing the opportunity to join the conversation. "We have entire families here, with over a thousand people on board at any given time. Many of the children onboard were born here, and some of them," she said, "have lived almost their entire lives in space."

"Peace and exploration are our primary interests, and have been for many years," Picard added. "We defend ourselves, of course, when necessary, and the _Enterprise_ is quite capable in that regard. But, as a general rule," Jean-Luc said, leaning back in his chair as he turned a bit to face his new guests, "we attempt to resolve differences and conflict through diplomacy."

"An admirable aim, Captain," Padmé nodded. "But a difficult one to achieve at times," she sighed; she paused, looking up at the waiter as he approached her with a fresh bottle of wine.

"More wine, ma'am?" he asked, turning the bottle so that she could see it.

"Yes, thank you," Padmé replied, and, after the waiter had refilled her glass, she turned her attention back to the captain.

"I take it, from your tone, that you've had some experience in these matters," Jean-Luc said; his eyebrow rose, slightly, as Anakin laughed under his breath, and then took a long sip of wine.

"To put it mildly, Captain," Anakin said, the corner of his mouth turned into a sly smile as he glanced back at his wife, who now looked back at him, amused.

"My dear Captain," Obi-Wan chimed in, pointing toward Padmé with the breadstick he'd just taken a bite of a moment before, "believe it or not, you are addressing one of the most tenacious senators our own Republic has ever seen."

"Really?" Beverly grinned, obviously keenly interested to learn this bit of news about this seemingly quiet, attractive young woman, as were the others. "I could barely manage a career with _one_ teenager," she said, shaking her head. "How do you manage to do anything else at all with two and half?"

"I have a lot of help," Padmé laughed, glancing over at Shanda as she raised her hand and smiled sheepishly back at the doctor. "No, before Anakin and I married and I became a mother, I had a very different life. Politics are something I have a bit of experience with, Captain," Padmé smiled, her cheeks flushing a rosy pink as she spoke.

"And Ben is far too kind," she said, her brown eyes twinkling as she cut a sly grin back to Anakin's old mentor, who sat at the end of the table, chewing, chuckling, and grinning like a Cheshire cat as he went back to his meal. "I served a few terms as senator to the Republic for our home world of Naboo," she said. "So I know that diplomatic solutions aren't always easy to come by."

"Unfortunately, that's true," Picard sighed, nodding his head as he paused, swirled his freshly filled glass under his nose, and then took a small sip. "And, in some cases, such as our current conflict with the Borg," he added, leaning back in his chair again, "completely impossible."

"The Borg," Anakin said, his brow furrowing a bit as he lowered his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin, "they're the one's we're trying to avoid, right?"

"That's right," Georgi replied, his visor glinting as he nodded his head. "They're also the ones we think may be responsible for the probe that brought you here."

Deanna looked at Padmé, as she sat with her head cocked, her eyes narrowed a bit as she gazed quietly at Captain Picard; she had been convinced, by their earlier conversations, that Padmé was empathic, but now all doubt of that fact was removed as she realized, without question, that Padmé was reading the captain's feelings as clearly as she could herself.

"These Borg," Padmé said, "Can you tell us more about them?"

Her eyes followed the captain's gesture to where Commander Data sat quietly, next to Doctor Crusher, across the table from them. "The Borg are a highly aggressive and technologically advanced species," Data said, in his usual matter-of-fact demeanor. "They operate under a single command structure called the Collective, which allows the actions and functions of each individual, as well as each Borg vessel, to be tightly controlled, allowing the entire species to function as a single unit."

"Have they always been this way?" Shanda asked, curiously.

"Unfortunately, what we know about their origins and history is extremely limited," Data said, turning his yellow eyes to the auburn haired young woman who addressed him. "But we believe that the Borg were, at some point, a humanoid species before they adapted to their current form."

"Current form?" Obi-Wan asked. "You mean, they're not humanoid now?"

"Not entirely," Data replied. "Perhaps a more accurate description would be that they exist now as a cybernetic collective."

"For lack of a better term," Riker said, "they're cyborgs. Part machine, part organic."

"Can't they be reasoned with?" Padmé asked, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "What is it that they want?"

"Unfortunately, no, because the only thing they want is to assimilate other species," Captain Picard said. "The Borg feel that they have somehow achieved a level of perfection that other organic species are incapable of reaching on their own," he said, making little effort to hide the disdain in his voice. "They travel from system to system, assimilating any and all organic, humanoid forms they encounter into their Collective."

"Whether they want to be assimilated," Geordi added, "or not."

"You seem to know a lot about them, Captain," Padmé said, with a nod of her head; she could sense, quite clearly, the contempt - and the fear - that traveled back to her through the Force as she stretched out her feelings toward him.

"I should," Picard nodded. "You see, some time ago, I was assimilated into their Collective," he said, his eyes meeting Padmé's again as he spoke. "So I have a rather unique perspective into how they operate," he nodded, "and what they want."

"I was extremely fortunate in that I was rescued, and I got my humanity back," the captain said, glancing at his first officer, who sat quietly beside him. "Very few are ever so lucky."

"So, I take it," Obi-Wan said, with a slow nod of his head, "that they simply won't take no for an answer."

"That would be a very simple and accurate analysis, Mr. Kenobi," Data nodded.

"So, you're forced into a conflict you can't avoid," Anakin sighed; he paused, as he glanced at his wife. "Reminds me of another war, how about you?"

Padmé shook her head. "Definitely," she sighed, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Some things never change, do they?"

Seeing the curiosity in the captain's eyes, Padmé realized that now might be a good time to reveal more about their own past to their new friends. "Our own Republic was founded on the same principles as your Federation, Captain," she said, as the room's collective attention fell on her. "For well over a thousand years, thousands of worlds throughout our galaxy lived together in peace, working for the common good," she said. She paused, shaking her head. "Conflicts, except for an occasional skirmish between smaller systems, just didn't exist."

"We had no military, no army, because we didn't need one," Padmé said, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Only a small group of peacekeepers, or guardians, who we called the Jedi Knights, worked to settle differences and conflicts through negotiation."

"A small group?" Riker mused, deeply curious. "To handle negotiations for an entire galaxy?" he asked; he sighed, leaning back in his chair as he grinned back at her and shook his head. "They must have been quite the negotiators."

The _Enterprise's _first officer looked at Anakin. "They had their methods, Commander," he nodded, as they both exchanged a knowing grin. "The Jedi could be quite aggressive if the need presented itself, and, shall we say, _aggressive negotiation_ is something they were very, very good at."

"So," Worf said, smiling slyly as he looked at Obi-Wan, who sat beside him. "They were warriors."

Obi-Wan nodded his head, very slowly, as he grinned back at the dark skinned, Klingon officer who sat beside him; a third year padawan could have sensed his aggressive nature, and his delight, in hearing this bit of information. "In a sense, Mister Worf," he nodded. "But, conflict was something the Jedi tried to avoid until there was no other alternative."

Picard cocked his head, as he saw the sadness on Padmé's face as she continued. "As I said, our galaxy was peaceful for many, many years, Captain. But then, a very evil man, who was appointed Chancellor of our Republic, secretly constructed a massive army, and forced us into a conflict that all but destroyed everything we'd worked so hard, for so long, to build."

"Now," she continued, "our Republic is all but gone, and the Empire rules most of the galaxy through force and conflict. There are only a handful of us left," she said, shaking her head sadly, "who are working to restore peace and diplomacy to the Republic."

"So we understand the situation you're in, Captain," she sighed; she paused, as she took another long sip from her glass. "And, we can sympathize."

"So, just like us, you've been drawn into a conflict you can't avoid," Anakin said, shaking his head slowly as he quickly sized up the situation. "And, as a result, you're faced with the undesirable task of destroying them, before they destroy you."

Picard nodded his head; even he was amazed at the apparent similarities of their histories. "Which has proved extremely problematic, Anakin," he said; he paused, sighed deeply, and then shook his head. "No, to be honest, virtually impossible," he continued. "We've managed to defend ourselves successfully, from time to time, but, for the most part, the only thing we've been able to do is simply fall back as the Borg have continued to advance."

Obi-Wan's frown deepened. "Are their ships and weapons really that much more powerful than yours?"

"It's not that our vessels and weapons are not powerful enough, but rather the rate at which the Borg are able to make decisions and affect repairs," Data replied. "They are highly adaptive. The power of their Collective consciousness allows them to process data and react with a very high level of speed and efficiency."

"For example, our weapons, which we call phasers, operate at a specific frequency," Geordi said, as Obi-Wan and Data looked toward him. "The first few Borg we fire at may go down, but the information about that attack is relayed back to the Collective, and the others soon adapt, as we've come to call it," he said, shaking his head. "They're then able to generate shields that render our weapons useless."

"Even their ships can adapt," Deanna added. "It works the same way on a large scale as it does with each individual Borg. We can usually only attack for a very short period, before we have to withdraw."

"So, you get in a few punches, but then you have to back off, and when you hit them again they're onto you," Anakin said; he nodded his head, as he considered all that he was hearing about this strange new life form. "I'm beginning to understand the challenge you're facing, Captain," he sighed, as he turned his gaze to the _Enterprise's_ commanding officer once more.

"Which is why we must find a way to get you home as quickly as possible," Picard nodded. "Our challenge is great enough as it is," he said. "Should the Borg get their hands on your vessel, and learn how to duplicate its strength and durability for their own, any chance we have of stopping them would be gone," he said, shaking his head. "This galaxy would be theirs to possess, and it would only be a matter of time before others, no matter how far away, fell victim to them."

Anakin glanced over to Padmé, as he felt her squeeze his hand; their eyes locked, and he listened, once more, to that still, small voice as her heart reached out to him, instantly sharing her deepest feelings through their bond.

He frowned, as he silently answered her. _Are you sure?_

Even as she nodded her head, silently, her gaze deeply intertwined with his, he knew that she was right. He nodded his head, very slowly, as he heard her reply; though it pained him to think of the consequences, he knew, deep down, that the decision she'd made was right.

"In that case," Anakin sighed, as he turned to the captain once more, "we have no choice but to destroy our ship before they can get their hands on it."

A hushed silence fell over the room, and Anakin looked over toward Obi-Wan and Shanda; he smiled back at them, as he saw them both nod their heads firmly in agreement with him. "It's the right thing to do, Uncle Anakin," Shanda said, softly, as she sensed his concern for her... and for the ones they'd be leaving behind.

"If you do that," Geordi said, shaking his head, "you'll be stuck here."

"We're only one family, Commander," Shanda replied, as she and Geordi exchanged a long, quiet glance. "It's not worth risking the safety of an entire galaxy for our sake."

"That's a very noble gesture, one which I deeply appreciate, Shanda," Captain Picard said; he paused, then shook his head slowly as he glanced at her, and then back to Anakin again. "But, I'm not prepared to take you up on that offer unless we can find no other alternative."

Anakin started to speak, but, before he could, the chirp of the captain's communicator filled the room around them. "Excuse me one moment," Picard said, reaching up and tapping his communicator. "Picard here, go ahead."

"_Sorry to interrupt, Captain_," Ensign Ro said, "_but you're needed on the bridge_."

Picard frowned, deeply, as he heard the urgency in her voice. "What is it, ensign?"

He looked over at his first officer as he heard Ro's response. "Sensors _have just picked up another Borg vessel, coming in at mark 224, intercept course, high warp_."

Padme and Anakin exchanged a glance, as she suddenly sensed the concern that filled the room around them. They both looked back at the captain as he pushed his chair back and stood up, rather quickly, as Riker did the same. "Will we reach the Mutara nebula before they intercept?" he asked.

His frown deepened at Ro's reply; it wasn't what he wanted to hear. "_Negative, sir_," she said, bluntly. "_My calculations indicate they'll overtake us before we can get inside._"

He nodded his head; it appeared, as he'd feared, that this situation was rapidly growing more dangerous. The Borg were clearly after their guests, and their technology, and – to make matters worse – it appeared that they now had three Borg ships to deal with instead of two. "Understood, on my way," Picard said. "Increase speed to maximum warp, take the ship to yellow alert," he said, as his officers, and the others, all stood up from the table. "Picard out."

"I'm sorry, but it appears we'll have to save desert for another time," he said, glancing at Anakin and other others apologetically. "Doctor," he said, turning his attention toward his ship's physician, "You and Councellor Troi escort out guests back to their quarters. Everyone else," he added, quickly turning his gaze to his officers once more, "Report to the bridge. Mr. Laforge," he said, nodding toward his chief engineer, "I'll need you in Engineering. Battle stations."

Picard looked at Anakin, as he heard him speak. "Mind if Ben and I tag along, Captain?" he asked, curiously. "We'll stay out of the way, but I'd like to get a look at our pursuers, if that's all right with you?"

Picard considered his request for a moment, and then nodded his head slowly. "A reasonable request," he said. "if I were in your position, I'd probably want to do the same," he said, gesturing to Commander Data, who stood a few steps away from him. "Commander Data will escort you to the bridge."

Anakin nodded, and then turned to Padmé, as she reached down and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You and Shanda stay with the kids," he said, softly, as Padmé nodded her head. "I'll let you know what we find out."

"Okay," Padmé replied, as Anakin leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "I'll be here if you need me," she said, nodding her head as she grinned up at him. "Just call me."

"I will," Anakin grinned back at her, and, letting his hand slip free, Padmé watched him as he and Obi-Wan made their way through the doorway and into the corridor with the rest of the _Enterprise's_ command officers.

"I'm sure your children are still in the holodeck," Deanna said, as she walked around the table to where Padmé stood, with Beverly trailing along behind her. "We can stop by there and check of them, if you want," she nodded, as Shanda walked over to join them.

"That'd be great, thank you, Deanna," Padmé replied, as she walked toward the door with them. "I was wondering," she said, pausing as she reached the doorway and looked back at them, "Would you two mind if we stopped by our quarters, first? I have something I'd like to pick up," she said, as she and Shanda exchanged a knowing glance. "And there's something I'd like to share with the both of you."

Deanna and Beverly exchanged a curious glance. "Of course," Deanna nodded, as they all made their way out into the corridor. "We can take the turbolift at the end of the corridor. Follow me."

* * *

"Report," Picard said, as he, Riker, and the others stepped off the turbolift and onto the bridge.

Anakin and Obi-Wan both stepped out of the turbolift, as the _Enterprise's _officers quickly moved to their stations. Anakin looked at his old master, nodding his head as he heard him speak. "Impressive," Obi-Wan sighed, glancing around the large, circular bridge.

"Very," Anakin nodded, as he folded his arms across his chest. As the captain took his seat and began to tap the controls on the pad at his fingertips, Ro was the next to speak.

"The Borg cube is on an intercept course, sir," she said, her eyes scanning the tactical display in front of her. "Distance, 375,000 kilometers and closing fast."

"On screen," Picard said, and he, along with everyone else on the bridge, turned their attention to the large view screen as the Borg cube suddenly appeared on it.

"I'll be damned," Anakin sighed, shaking his head as he studied the strange, cube-like ship; it appeared, for all intensive purposes, to be nothing more than a haphazardly assembled mass of parts and pieces of old space junk. "Look at that thing."

"Doesn't look like much of a ship, does it?" Obi-Wan said, shaking his head; he glanced up, as did Anakin, as they suddenly heard the loud chirp that echoed through the bridge as the ship's primary comm channel opened.

He looked at Anakin, frowning as he heard the hollow, monotone voice that filled their ears. "_We are the Borg. Disengage your engines, lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. We will add your technological and biological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile_."

The comm system chirped once more, as the system fell quiet again. "Don't mince words, do they?" Obi-Wan sighed, frowning deeply as he watched the Borg ship continue to draw closer in the massive view screen.

"They never do. Mr. Worf, take the ship to red alert," Picard said, coolly. "Shields and weapons at maximum. Arm photon torpedoes."

"Aye, sir," Worf replied, his large, thick fingers flying across the LCARS pad in front of him as he carried out the captain's command with his usual precision. "Shields and phasers are set to rotate frequencies, photo torpedoes armed and ready, "he said. "All systems at maximum."

"Are we going to engage, sir?" Riker asked, leaning forward in his chair and studying his commanding officer carefully.

"Only so far as we have to, Number One," Picard replied, his face tight and chiseled as he regarded his first officer for a moment, and then turned his gaze to Ro once more. "How long until we reach the Mutara nebula, Ensign?"

"Four minutes, thirty seven seconds, sir," Ro replied, glancing up at the view screen in front of her as the Borg ship continued to close the massive distance between them at an alarming rate.

Picard nodded, and then opened a channel to Engineering. "Geordi, we need best possible speed for the next five minutes."

Anakin listened, as Geordi's now familiar voice echoed back through the com system. "_Understood, Captain. Warp engines are at 102% of maximum, I'll see if I can get 'em up to 110_."

"How long until the Borg are in transporter range?" Picard asked, turning his firm gaze to Commander Data, who sat at the science station behind him.

Data shook his head, frowning deeply as his fingers flew across the controls. "Less than a minute, sir," he said, keenly aware of the ominous ramifications of that statement.

"Security, put all decks on the alert," Picard said firmly, as he opened a ship-wide channel. "The Borg will be in transporter range in less than sixty seconds. Set weapons on maximum, rotate frequencies. Make every shot count, we may not get many of them."

"Captain," Data exclaimed, his frown deepening as he studied the console in front of him, "I am detecting strong plasma energy signals emanating from the Borg vessel," he said. "It appears that the Borg may be attempting to activate their transporters."

Picard stood up quickly, as he heard the family sound of transporter fields engage around them. He watched, his heart sinking, as he suddenly saw five Borg drones appear, three in front of him, and two behind, near the main bridge turbolift. "Weapons at the ready!" he cried, as Riker, Worf, and Data all drew their hand phasers. "Ensign Ro, secure the bridge!"

As Ro quickly locked out the turbolift and the ship's main computer, Data turned and fired, striking the first Borg, which approached him from the turbolift, squarely in the chest. Anakin and Obi-Wan took a step back, watching as the Borg began to twitch violently, and then, sparks flying from its many synthetic implants, slumped to the deck.

It was Riker who fired next, at one of the three that now approached him and the Captain. In like fashion, the drone went down quickly, and he and Worf both fired, simultaneously, at the third.

"Captain," Worf said, frowning as he watched the energy from their phaser's shot dance rapidly across the Borg's shield, and then dissipate quickly. "They've adapted!"

Obi-Wan knew, as he sensed his old padawan's tremor, that their time to act had come. "Which one?" he asked, leaning close to Anakin as his hand went quickly beneath his cloak.

"You take that one," Anakin replied, quite calmly, nodding toward the Borg that now stalked methodically toward Worf and Data, as his hand moved with lightning speed beneath the folds of his own cloak. "I'll deal with the other two."

Before the bridge officers even knew what was happening, the two Jedi Knights were upon the three remaining Borg. With his hand still on his weapon, Captain Picard turned his attention from the two Borg that approached him to the strange, electric _whoosh_ he heard behind him. He watched, mesmerized, as Anakin shrugged his cloak from his shoulders and, placing one hand on the command deck's railing just behind the captain's command chair, launched himself over the railing toward the two Borg, the gleaming white blade of his lightsaber humming loudly in his hand.

Before the two Borg could react, Anakin was upon them. Bringing his weapon around in a smooth, clean arc, the blade hummed loudly as it made contact, barely registering the force field generated by the Borg's shield as it passed effortlessly through armor, electronics, sinew and bone like a knife through butter, with a spray of crimson mist.

As the stricken drone slumped lifeless to the floor, sparks and smoke spraying wildly from the cleanly severed electronics of its Borg implants, Anakin stretched out his hand toward the other that now lunged toward him. The captain, Riker, and the other bridge officers watched, awestruck, as the Borg was suddenly stopped, dead in its tracks, and lifted from the decking by unseen hands, its arms and legs twitching wildly.

Riker winced, as, just as Anakin clenched his outstretched hand into a tight fist, he heard the distinct snap of the unfortunate Borg's neck, along with most of the implants between its head and shoulders.

With a strong Force push, Anakin tossed the Borg's lifeless body toward the bulkhead. As it slumped limply to the floor, he turned his gaze toward Lieutenant Worf and his old master, just in time to see Obi-Wan bring his emerald green blade around and drive it cleanly through the chest plate of the last remaining Borg... only inches from the _Enterprise's_ Klingon security officer.

Worf looked down, his wide, thick eyebrows raised, as the humming, translucent green blade withdrew from the Borg's chest as the drone collapsed to the floor, sparking and twitching wildly like the other two that now lay strewn across the bridge floor.

The bridge was now silent, filled with nothing but the soft hum of Anakin and Obi-Wan's light sabers, and a light haze of acrid smoke; Picard looked at Anakin, and then back to Obi-Wan as he spoke next. "I hope you don't consider that an intrusion, Captain," Obi-Wan said, glancing over toward the _Enterprise's _commanding officer as he touched the igniter on his saber, extinguishing the blade as quickly as it had appeared, "but it looked to us like you could use a little help."

Data and Riker exchanged a glance, both of them grinning - albeit a very surprised grin - at one another as they glanced down at the Borg drones that Anakin and Obi-Wan had dispatched, almost instantly.

"So," Worf said, nodding his head as he gazed first at Obi-Wan, then at Anakin, as he eyed the gleaming white blade that still hummed at Anakin's side. "You _are_ warriors."

Anakin nodded, and he couldn't help but notice - and sense - the deep sense of admiration that seemed to come from the Klingon officer as he gazed back at him, almost proudly. "Something like that, Lieutenant," he said, as he, in like fashion, touched the igniter on his weapon.

Picard watched, along with Riker and Data, as the brilliant white shaft of light disappeared with a smooth hiss, and then, almost faster than his eyes could see, Anakin returned his weapon to his belt.

"Fascinating," Data said, cocking his head as he looked at Anakin, for a long moment, and then turned his attention to the Borg that now lay lifeless on the floor in front of him. "The Borg appear to have been unable to adapt to their weapons, sir."

"Was it the weapon," Riker asked, as he looked up at Obi-Wan, who now stood over the Borg he'd effectively dispatched a moment before, studying it quietly, "or how fast they used them?" he asked, turning a curious smile back to his captain.

"Indeed, Number One," Picard nodded; he raised his eyebrow, curiously, reaching down and straightening his tunic with a firm tug. "It appears our friends may have just bought us some much needed time. Ensign," he said, walking over to stand next to Ro as she looked up at him from her station, "How long until we reach the nebula?"

"We'll be penetrating the exterior magnetic fields in approximately fifteen seconds, sir," Ro said, studying the tactical display in front of her as she unlocked the ship's computer.

Picard steadied himself, as did the others, as they felt the _Enterprise_ lurch as a strong phaser blast struck her aft shields. "Maintain shields at maximum," Picard said. He turned back toward his first officer, as he stepped up beside him.

"They just don't want us going in there," Riker nodded, as he felt another shot bounce off of the _Enterprise's_ hull. "And, interestingly enough," Will said, his eyes quickly surveying the bridge around them, "they haven't sent any more reinforcements."

"I would suspect they're confused at the moment, Number One," Picard nodded; he glanced back over his shoulder at Data, as he heard him speak.

Anakin glanced down, taking his cloak as his old mentor walked over and handed it to him. As he tossed it quickly back onto his shoulders, Data spoke next. "That is quite possible, Captain," Data said, stepping down from the science station and walking over to where Anakin now stood, a short distance from them, with Obi-Wan at his side. "It is highly likely that the Borg are attempting to analyze why they were unable to effectively counteract their weapons," he said, glancing at the two Jedi Knights once more. "Their confusion could give us a distinct technical advantage in this situation."

Picard nodded, and then turned his attention back to Ro. "Ensign, once we're inside the nebula, secure us near the center, where the sensor interference is highest," he said. "Once we're there, secure the ship and hold steady, Z minus ten thousand meters."

"Understood, Captain," Ro nodded.

"Gentlemen," Picard said, turning his attention toward the two Jedi who stood, very quietly, behind him. "I believe that thanks are in order. It appears," he sighed, shaking his head, "that the two of you may have a distinct advantage when it comes to hand-to-hand combat with the Borg."

"Would I be correct is assuming," the captain continued, as he raised one eyebrow curiously, "that the two of you might be some of the Jedi Knights we were discussing at dinner earlier?"

Picard nodded, as he saw Anakin close his eyes and do the same. "Yes, Captain," Anakin sighed. "Ben and I aren't the only ones," he added, as he and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. "My wife, Padmé, and Shanda, our niece," he said, "are both Jedi as well."

"I hope you don't think we were hiding this from you to be deceptive, Captain," Obi-Wan sighed, as he took a step closer to the Enterprise's commander, "but, Anakin and Padmé's situation with the children is a little…"

He paused, as he and Anakin exchanged a glance, and then continued. "Complicated, where affairs of this matter are concerned."

"I understand," Picard nodded. "Trust me, gentlemen, your assistance in this matter is deeply appreciated. Had you not been here, the outcome of this little conflict might have been very, very different. I wonder," he said, cocking his head curiously, "if you'd be willing to accompany myself and Commander Riker down to Engineering?"

"Of course, Captain," Anakin nodded, as he and Obi-Wan exchanged another glance. "Anything we can do to help, we'll be glad to do so."

Picard nodded, and then, with Anakin and Obi-Wan following along behind them, he and Riker made their way toward the turbolift. "Commander Data, would you join us in engineering?" he called. "Commander Worf, you have the bridge."

"And have security get these things off my ship," he added, glancing down with disgust at the Borg that lay lifeless around the bridge as Data stepped past him and into the turbolift to join them.

"Aye, sir," Worf nodded, and, as the turbolift closed, he made his way around and, very slowly took a seat in the captain's chair. He reached over to the control pad in the chair's armrest, and opened a ship-wide channel. "Security to the bridge," he called.

He looked down at the two Borg that lay a short distance from the command chair, and he couldn't help but smile as he studied the clean, smooth cut that Anakin's strange, elegant weapon had made through the unfortunate drone.

A Klingon _bat'leth_ couldn't have done it any better.

_Our story continues shortly!... ;)_


End file.
